TPS III: Parallels
by El Varon
Summary: Drawn through a dimensional portal, the XMen find themselves in an alternate reality where heroes are more openly celebrated. But, their presence may bring about an alliance between an ancient, nighinvincible evil, and a secret conspiracy. Slight AU, WIP
1. Rest and Relaxation

AN1: This will eventually be a crossover with "Justice League: Unlimited", and the DC animated universe.

Disclaimer: Seraph, Hardcase, Lobo, Shift, and Warlock are my own creations. The X-Men and related characters are owned by Marvel. "Justice League: Unlimited" belongs to DC and Warner Brothers.

AN2: This takes place approximately six months after the end of "Creatures of the Night".

The Protector Saga, Part III

Parallels

Chapter One: Rest and Relaxation

Ororo Munroe awoke with a start. Clutching her hand to her chest, she sat up in bed, taking a deep breath to calm herself. Outside, thunder echoed in the distance. As she forced herself to calm down, the thunder dissipated, the overcast skies clearing as she did so.

She lay back down after a moment, careful not to bother the large, dark shape next to her. Despite the air conditioner going at full strength, the room was still too hot. She had found that it was much too warm in their room to even sleep under the covers, let alone clothed. Yet, the bed was still damp with her sweat.

Unable to get comfortable on the damp spot, she rolled over, snuggling her naked body close to that of her lover's. Though she would not admit it to many, she couldn't but think the feeling of his fur against her bare skin was titillating; kinky even. She laid her head on his heavily muscled chest, his fur acting almost as a pillow. She felt, rather than saw, the slight shift of his body as his head raised. She looked up, catching his kind, almost doe-like eyes. "Did I wake you," she asked.

"No, Ororo, you did not," Henry McCoy replied pleasantly, smiling slightly. A massive paw came to her face, tucking a stray strand of ivory hair behind her ear. The same paw stroked her cheek lovingly, his gentleness belying his physicality. "I, too, have had great difficulty slumbering tonight." He sighed exasperatedly, his massive head hitting the pillow for a moment. He looked back down at her. "What woke you?"

"I … don't know," she replied. She readjusted her head, getting the barest hint of the soap he used. "I feel … ill-at-ease, I suppose."

"Ill-at-ease," he asked curiously.

She nodded, nuzzling her head into his chest. "I cannot help but to feel as if … something … evil is just over the horizon." She looked up to catch his eyes. "I feel an anxiety I have never known … settling in my stomach, and chilling me to the bone.'

He sighed, resting his chin on his chest. "Many scientists would simply dismiss any … kind of intuition, or clairvoyance as little to nothing. But, I have seen much too much to do so." A massive paw settled below her shoulder blades, gently rubbing her back. "Perhaps we should speak with Charles in the morning?"

"Yes … I was thinking the same."

His paw kept moving over her back, soothingly, comforting her to sleep. Her ear to his chest, she could hear the rhythmic beating of his heart, and the sound of his breathing. She was just beginning to drift off to sleep when his voice sounded softly in the darkness. "Have you had any dreams?"

"No," Ororo answered. "Or if I have, I am unable to recall them." She looked back up to him, his eyes sparkling in the low light. "What are you thinking?"

"In our case, portents and such have rarely been wrong … or if they are, it heralds something that could very well be worse." He looked down to her again. "I am concerned that any malevolent portent may very well lead to something evil that we must face."

"Let us hope that is not the case, Henry, my love," she said, as she placed a kiss on the side of his face.

"Yes, but if our luck were to run the way it does more often than not, we are going to meet something we would wish we did not," he said wryly. But, at the back of his mind, he wondered if it was really luck.

- - - -

**The Next Morning**

"Hon, here's your tea," Jake said, holding out the mug.

"Thanks, luv," Betsy replied, turning from the window. As she faced him, he noticed she was wearing her (formerly his) AC/DC t-shirt. Not for the first time, he wondered how it was that his stuff could become hers, but not necessarily the other way around. "Jake," she said, hearing his thoughts, "you know I am more than willing to share my clothes with you." She sent him the image of him dressed in one of her lace thongs.

"Nice," he replied facetiously. "But, you know, I can't fit into your underwear."

"How do you know if you haven't tried them on," she asked, her eyes sparkling mischievously.

"I … hey, wait a minute!" It took him a full five seconds for him to fully understand what she'd said. "I have not tried any of your thongs on," he sniffed in mock indignation.

"So, you admit to trying on some of my other knickers?"

"Yeah," he said facetiously. "But, I had really bad gas that day…. And I may've put some racing stripes in them."

She turned to look at him out of the corner of her eye. Catching her look, he said, "Don't worry, I put them back."

"You're a pain in the arse," she said, looking back out the window.

"I know," he said, kissing her shoulder. "But, that's why you love me," he continued, cheekily.

"Actually," she said, between sips of tea, "I think that's why you got along so famously with Deadpool."

"Now, that's just a low blow," he said smiling broadly. "Besides, I didn't so much get along with him as I did encourage him."

"Don't remind me," she replied, as if the very thought gave her a headache. But, she couldn't hide the smile that threatened to erupt on her face.

Jake wrapped an arm around her, kissing her cheek. "I love you."

"And I love you, too," she replied, returning his kiss. After a few moments in comfortable silence, she half-turned towards him, and asked, "Are you ready for today?"

"I don't know," he answered truthfully. "I mean, kids are gonna be running around like chickens with their head cut off." Yesterday had been the last day of actual school for students. Tomorrow, the students who weren't there the entire year would be picked up by relatives and the like. That just left today, which had been declared as an end-of-the-year celebration. A full day of fun and games were in store. "There's also the truly terrifying possibility of seeing Logan in a bathing suit."

"Don't say that too loud," she warned. "His fan club might overhear you."

"That reminds me," he said. "Have you heard about the pool some of the students have?"

"I've heard rumors, but nothing more than that."

He smiled, trying not to laugh. "The pool is on which of us look best in bathing suits. They've narrowed it down to three men and three women."

"Who are they," she asked, her interest piqued.

"The three women they've narrowed it down to are 'Ro, you, and Emma. As far as men, it's Logan, Remy, and Kurt."

"Joy," Betsy said. "To know that I am the object of hormonally driven teenage boys' fantasies," she continued dryly.

"Oh, I'm sure there're a few girls who fantasize about you as well," Jake replied, trying to hide a smile. She only looked up at him warningly, her mouth set in a grim line.

A few moments later, she reached up, placing her hand on his neck. Pulling his face to hers, she placed a small kiss on his cheek. "That's what I adore about you, luv. You can talk your way into anything."

"Thanks … I think."

"I personally hope Kurt wins. Otherwise, I suspect someone will get into an argument." She was referring to the fact that there was currently a division between certain members of the female student body. On one side were those girls who seemed to think Remy was a Cajun Adonis. The other side seemed to think the sun rose and fell with Logan's chest. Neither side seemed to realize: 1. The girls involved were all much, much too young for either of them to even notice them; and 2. Both men were currently in very serious relationships.

Unfortunately, the two sides had actually gotten into an argument earlier in the school year. It publicly showed the two sides not only to the rest of the school, but also to the faculty. The unwanted attention that followed embarrassed not only the girls involved, but both Remy and Logan as well. Nothing else had happened the rest of the year. But, that could very well change … soon.

As Betsy was about to continue, she heard the Professor's voice in her head. _Jake, Betsy, I need you both in my office as soon as possible._

- - - -

"What's going on," Betsy asked, as she stepped into the Professor's office. Jake came in momentarily after her, closing the door behind him. Hank and Ororo were sitting next to each other, facing the Professor. The three of them had apparently been involved in a very involved conversation; the opening of the door had made both Hank and Ororo jump.

"We need to talk," Professor Xavier said. He gestured to a small couch, "Please, take a seat." As the two of them sat down, his attention shifted towards Ororo. "Ororo, if you would be so kind as to explain to them what you have explained to me?"

"Of course, Charles." She turned towards Betsy and Jake. "The last few nights, I've awoken during the night with … a deep foreboding."

"Really," Betsy asked, surprised.

"Yes," the other woman replied. "This morning, I came to Charles, to determine if there was something that I could not remember." Hank's massive paw settled gently on her shoulder. She took his hand in hers, comforted by his presence. "With his help, I realized I had been dreaming of being … crushed."

"I'm sorry," Betsy said, good-naturedly.

"There is nothing for you to be sorry for," Ororo said. "I … I was not being crushed from a great weight. I felt as if something was wrapped around me … as a snake."

"Is that all," Jake asked.

"No," she answered. "The foreboding I felt was not from the person crushing me."

"It wasn't," both Betsy and Jake asked together.

"No," she responded. "I felt something coming," she continued, "something … powerful … evil." The skies outside had clouded over, a massive funnel cloud spinning ominously above them. She looked back up at them, the sky clearing up as she did so. "But, that is not all," Ororo explained. "The very last thing I remember is the face of who I believe was Apocalypse, his mind bearing down upon not one, but all of us."

"Apocalypse, huh," Jake asked, staring grimly at the floor

"Are you sure it was Apocalypse," Betsy asked.

"No," Ororo answered. "I cannot be positive."

"If this person was not Apocalypse, I hesitate to think of the … being that could cause such a visceral response," Hank spoke up. "Anything that is a fraction as evil as he is someone to be avoided at all costs."

"Yeah," Jake concurred. "But, knowing our luck, we're already on a head-on collision with whatever this thing is." He sighed, and looked to Betsy. They spoke telepathically, coming to a mutual decision.

"Spread the word," Betsy told the other couple. "Tell everyone to be on high alert for anything out of the ordinary. Otherwise, there is little we can do."

"Professor," Jake asked. "Should we cancel our plans for today? The last thing any of us want is for the kids to be in danger."

"I agree," the older man replied. "However, we do not have any proof that whatever may or may not happen will involve the children, or that it will happen anytime soon." He thought for a moment, his chin on his chest. After several moments, he looked up at them. "We shall not cancel today's festivities. Doing so may, in fact, cause the children to worry. Therefore, we will continue with what we were planning, though we shall remain vigilant at all times.

"Henry, Ororo," Professor Xavier said, turning to them, "thank you for coming to me. Now, if you do not mind, I must speak with Elizabeth and Jackson alone."

"Of course, Charles," Ororo said, standing. "We shall see you outside." She and Hank walked out of the office, saying their goodbyes to Betsy and Jake.

As soon as they had left, the elder man focused on both Jake and Betsy. "What is this I've heard about a student pool?"

"Um…," Jake began. His eyes wandered around the room, never focusing on the Professor, a guilty half-smile on his face. "You heard about that," Jake asked tentatively.

"Of course," Professor Xavier replied, knowingly. At that moment, Jake wondered just how much the other man knew about the goings on in the mansion. Undoubtedly, he knew more than he let on. It dawned on him that maybe, just maybe, the seemingly innocuous man before him could hide secrets as few others could. "And I am curious as to know why exactly you permitted it to continue?"

"Well, there were a couple of reasons, actually," Jake said. "I only stumbled on what was going on by accident. And, when I did, the kids begged me not to tell anyone. So, I made them a deal. I told them that as long as they were not actually gambling, and as long as they told no one about what they were doing, I wouldn't say anything."

"I see," the Professor said. "And the other reason?"

"Quite honestly, I didn't see the harm in it; just so long as they weren't actually gambling."

"What do the winners of the pool get?"

"The losers of the pool have to buy the winners dinner at the restaurant of their choosing," Jake replied.

The Professor sighed, contemplating what Jake had said. "In keeping with the spirit of the day, I will allow this … provided you take any and all responsibility if something happens with the students involved."

"Agreed," Jake said easily.

"In that case," the Professor said, "I too shall see the two of you outside."

- - - -

"Scott, the meat is burning," Jean said, coming up beside him.

He glanced at her, and did a double-take. She was dressed in a red bikini, the two-piece swimsuit complimenting her figure, accentuating her curves. "I'm not burning the meat," he said, almost petulantly.

"Scott," she responded, "the nose knows." She tapped a finger on the side of her nose, to emphasize her meaning.

"Fine," he replied, a moment later. He was almost boring a hole through the grill with his stare, his jaw clenched like a bear trap. He began taking the hamburgers off of the grill, unable to entirely suppress his irritation.

"I know you and Warren are fighting," she said kindly. His head turned to look at her so quickly she thought he might have hurt his neck. He was about to ask how she knew, but was stopped when she spoke again. "I don't have to be a telepath to know when you're upset, you know."

Scott sighed, and slowly looked up at his ex-wife. "He says I need to open up more, that I keep my emotions too guarded."

Jean nodded understandingly. She seemed to consider what he'd said for several minutes. Finally, she said, "I don't know what the entire argument was about, and I'm not going to say that Warren was right.…" She hesitated momentarily, uncertain whether she should continue. "But," she continued, making her decision, "one of the most frustrating things about our marriage, Scott, was that you weren't able to share things with me that you should have."

He looked up again, his jaw somehow tighter. "And I suppose **he** does," Scott snapped, red-hot anger radiating out of his entire body.

"Yes, he does," she replied, her voice growing lower. "But, I will not say that our marriage is perfect, but neither was yours and mine."

"It's not perfect," he laughed bitterly. "You could have fooled me. Seriously, what do you see in him? He's…."

"He's what," she interjected coolly, returning his glare. "Need I remind you that you were the one that left me … for Warren, no less." She clutched her hands at her sides, trying not to allow herself to raise her voice. "Logan was there for me when you left, Scott. Regardless of what you think of him, he is a good man." She fixed him with a final glare, and started walking away, when she turned towards him once more. "In some ways, Scott, you and Logan are more alike than either of you would ever care to admit." She walked away, knowing it would burn him up her comparing him to Logan.

"What was that about," Betsy asked, as the red-head sat down at the deck table.

"I … I'd rather not talk about it," Jean replied, rubbing her temples, swearing she could feel a headache coming on.

"Fair enough," the other telepath answered.

Jean looked up, and saw Remy and Logan putting up a volleyball net. A few yards away, Jake was talking animatedly with Bobby and Jubilee. "What are the three of them up to?"

Betsy followed her gaze. She turned back to Jean, her mouth set in a grim line. "Jake seems to think we all have theme songs," Betsy said.

"Really," the other woman asked. She watched the co-leader of the X-Men with incredulity. "This is the same person that thinks of some of the more difficult Danger Room sessions?"

"Yes," Betsy replied. "He is the oddest man I have ever met."

Jean smiled conspiratorially. "So, what's my theme song?"

"He was leaning towards 'Freebird', but I don't think he'd made his decision yet."

"He is an odd duck," Jean said simply. A fine, red eyebrow raised questioningly. "Have any of his oddities rubbed off on you?"

"Thanks to Jake," Betsy began, "I now know all the words to each and every song on AC/DC's "Back in Black" album. That's not including choice works by Lynyrd Skynyrd."

Jean smiled good-naturedly. "Things could always be worse."

"I suppose," Betsy replied. "He could listen solely to chanting."

"Exactly." She looked down to the bikini she was wearing. "Are you sure Logan will like this," she asked. She'd only bought it the day before; mostly at Betsy's behest.

"Luv, is there something Logan would not like you dressed in?"

"You have a point," Jean conceded. She sipped at the iced tea she brought with her, once again watching as Logan and Remy finished with the volleyball net.

"Jean," Betsy asked, succinctly.

"Yes," the red-head answered, turning towards the other woman.

"Your arm is glowing." Jean looked down, confused. Her glass fell out of her hand, hitting the ground, as she took in her arm in surprise.

Her right forearm was glowing with a bright, white light. As she watched, the light seemed to grow along her skin, almost as if it was alive. "What's going on," she asked, even as the light continued expanding.

"I don't know," Betsy confessed. The light's expansion sped up exponentially, covering her entire body in a matter of moments. By this time, Logan, on the opposite side of the pool, had also noticed.

"Jean," he cried. He ran, and leapt, with a TK boost, over the pool, landing half-way between the pool and the deck table.

"Logan," Jean answered, reaching out for her husband. But, even as she did so, the light surrounding her intensified, and suddenly collapsed into a pinprick, taking her with it.

"JEANNIE!" She disappeared just as his hand was about to touch hers. "What the flamin' hell's goin' on," he roared, his body so tense with rage, his claws unsheathing them selves. But, even as he was speaking, the same white light began surrounding him. "What the…?" The light spread over his body twice as fast as it had on Jean. Moments later, he disappeared in the same pinprick of light Jean had.

Just after Logan had been pulled through the … portal … Hank came bounding out of the mansion, a harried look on his face. "Charles," he began, slightly out of breath. "Charles has just disappeared through a dimensional portal," he continued. Even as he said it, though, the same bright light surrounded him, pulling him through the same portal the others had.

"What the bloody hell's going on now," Betsy asked rhetorically, as the portals seemed to speed up. First Remy, then Scott, along with the grill, were pulled through the same portal.

"I'm guessing we're going on a little jaunt," Jake said, appearing next to her. Bobby and Jubilee disappeared, neither unable to escape its pull. Jake looked down to his hand holding Betsy's, noticing their hands were glowing with the same white energy. Looking at her in the eye, he said, "Here we go again.…"

AN3: For those of you who may watch "Justice League: Unlimited", this takes place after "Patriot Act".


	2. Summer in the City

Yet another Author's Note: For the purposes of this story, I'm assuming no past crossovers between Marvel and DC.

Chapter 2: Summer in the City

Jean landed hard on asphalt, and immediately rolled to better absorb the force. Her bare shoulder scraped against a brick wall, the pain occupying her mind, preventing her from seeing the old forty-two ounce beer bottle on the ground. As if homing in, her foot stepped directly on the large bottle, breaking the glass almost immediately.

"Damn," she cursed, pain arcing up her leg. Leaning against the wall, she lifted her leg to examine the sole of her foot. A large piece of glass was sticking out of her foot, almost like a perverse skew on an iceberg. Steeling herself, she grabbed the shard, and with a mental count of three, wrenched the glass out of her foot. She clenched her teeth in pain, even as the cut healed before her eyes, a million ants dancing on her foot.

But, even as the heat dissipated from her healing foot, the portal that deposited her opened again, white light flooding the alley. Logan shot out of the light, and landed solidly on his shoulder, his head hitting the ground with a loud thud. He rolled over, fighting the dizziness that threatened to envelope him. He closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the momentary disorientation to pass.

"Jeannie," he asked, as he rolled over, getting slowly to his feet.

"Over here," she said, catching his attention. He walked over to her, brushing grit out of his healing shoulder.

"Know where we are," he asked, before he noticed her attire. The red bikini seemed to accentuate her body in all the right places, highlighting her long legs. He raised a single eyebrow, a crooked smile crossing his lips. "Wearin' that for me, darlin'?"

She smiled in return, and was ready to respond, when she felt a familiar presence in her mind. "The Professor," she cried, just as the portal opened again. Almost like a comet, he and his wheelchair sped out of the aperture, threatening to hit the ground head first. Almost as one, Logan and Jean reached out telekinetically, slowing the descent almost instantaneously, and turning chair and the Professor right-side-up. He landed a moment later, the slightest of thuds marking his landing.

"Thank you, Jean, Logan," the Professor said, turning his chair.

"Of course," Jean replied.

Even as Jean spoke, the portal opened again, Celeste falling to the ground. Landing on her back, she brought a hand to her head, pain spreading out through her head. She lay back down, eyes half-closed, hoping for the sudden pain to dissipate. But, even as she relaxed, the portal opened again. Opening her eyes, she looked up to see the massive backside of Cain Marko hurtling towards her. "Damn," she said, switching to her malleable form, soft blue light enveloping her body.

Cain landed on his tail bone, creating an impact crater as he did. Looking down between his legs, he asked, "What'd I land on?"

"Me," Celeste said, as she oozed out of the crater. As she shifted into her human form, she said sarcastically, "I never thought I'd know what a hydrocolonic felt like … from the water's point of view."

- - - -

"Listen, Scott," Warren said, walking over to him. "I'm sorry … I know you've been trying. It's just not easy.…"

"I know," Scott replied, turning towards Warren. He almost seemed to sulk for a moment, his mouth set, his head cast down. "Maybe I should try harder…," he said at last.

"No," Warren answered, taking Scott's hand. "It's my fault; I've been pushing you too hard."

"No, … it's my fault," Scott said, interrupting his lover.

"Hey, guys, you're not gonna start arguing again after you just made up, are you," Bobby asked, arms wide in askance. In response, Scott stared hard at the younger mutant, his jaw set rigidly. "Oookay," Bobby said simply, turning away from the glare of his former leader.

The portal opened again above them, throwing out an indigo blur. Kurt landed on his hands, and turned his momentum into a handspring. He landed gracefully next to Logan, his legs bending to take the impact. "Damn acrobatic Elf," Logan muttered, scowling at the agile German.

"My apologies, mein freund," Kurt said courteously. "I did not mean to aggravate you."

"Don't mind him, Kurt," Jean said, smiling devilishly. "He's just upset that he didn't land on his feet … like you."

Even as Jean spoke, the portal opened a final time, Jake and Betsy falling out of the sky. Thinking quickly, Jean reached out telekinetically, and slowed them as much as she could. But, they still hit the ground hard.

Jake looked over his shoulder at Jean. "You gotta work on your landing," he said facetiously. He stood slowly, taking a step towards them. But, even as he did take the step, his hands flew to his stomach. "Fuck," he hissed through clenched teeth, as he hunched over in pain. He fell to his knees, wheezing, struggling to catch his breath, tears streaming from his eyes.

"Jake?" Betsy came to side almost immediately, only to fall to her knees in pain beside him. "Oh bugger," she cried simply, no other words coming to mind. On her hands and knees, her stomach muscles tightened as she curled into a ball, falling on her side.

"Jake, Betsy," Hank said, as he crouched next to them, trying to determine what was wrong with them. Even as the large, blue doctor did so, the Professor reached out telepathically.

_Jake, Betsy?_ But, even as the telepath reached their minds, the pain broached his own mind. "Arghhhh," the Professor cried, clutching his hands to his head. "I think …," he began after a moment, "I think it is magically related."

Jake's eyes fluttered open, revealing intense green light seemingly pulsing as if alive. The light intensified, becoming almost unbearable, and seemed to spread. Green energy shone dimly through his skin, as the energy flowed through his arteries and veins. Beside him, energy was leaking out of Betsy with the same, blinding intensity. Still the energy seemed to brighten, two veritable supernovas of magical energy threatening to erupt.

But, when it seemed as if the energy was going to blow, it suddenly, almost violently, dimmed. The emerald light coalesced, concentrating in their eyes, sending them both reeling. Their eyes slowly became normal once again, as they absorbed the magical energy.

"What happened," the Professor asked, as their irises became visible once again.

"Our power levels … they've increased … to where we've never had them before," Betsy said, almost too calmly.

"Why," Celeste asked, perplexed.

"Don't know," Jake confessed. His gaze fell on Ororo, and it suddenly occurred to him. "Unless …." He looked at Betsy, who had the same expression as he did. She nodded, and the two of them explained to the rest of the team the dream that Ororo had told them … omitting nothing.

"And when exactly were you going to tell us," Nathan asked, arms crossed over his massive chest. His jaw was set in an expression that was eerily reminiscent of his father.

"They were only told of this dream this morning," Ororo said, defending the other two. "And the dream only occurred last night."

Betsy nodded her thanks to the other woman. "Besides," Betsy said, "we had been planning on telling you tonight, after we had some much needed relaxation." The past three weeks had been hectic, with mission after mission after mission. If it wasn't Sinister, it was Magneto. If it wasn't either of them, it was tensions between mutants and non-mutants boiling over. The Professor had also picked up an intermittent mental signature traveling across Europe. What was alarming, though, was that the signature seemed to be associated with the slaughtering of anti-mutant "activists". But, what had them worried was that the signature was similar, if not identical, to that of Exodus.

"That's good an' all, but does anyone know where we're at," Ana asked. She turned to Logan, Jean, and the Professor. "You guys've been here longest. Any ideas?"

Professor Xavier looked up at her. "We seem to be in a city called Metropolis. According to Logan, we are probably somewhere in the American Midwest."

"How can you tell," Celeste asked, looking towards the shorter man.

"I can smell corn pollen on the air," Logan replied simply.

"Wait a minute," Jake cried, bemused. "'Metropolis'? Isn't that Greek for city, or something like that?" Both Hank and the Professor nodded in the affirmative. "Wow," Jake continued, sarcastically, "someone really had an all-powerful imagination." He laughed to himself, sighing in faux exasperation. It was then he realized something was wrong. "Hey, someone's missing," he said, looking over the faces before him. After a moment, he scrunched his eyebrows, and asked, "Where's Emma?"

"I'm right here," came the almost immediate reply. She stepped out from where she was, behind Peter, and next to Cain. She was dressed only in a Hawaiian shirt that was a number of sizes too big for her. She'd buttoned the front of it up, the bottom coming just below her knees. The sleeves came half-way down her forearms.

"My … Emma … you're swimming," Betsy said, trying ineffectively to hide her smile. The other woman gave her a withering glare, not especially happy with borrowing Hank's shirt. "Fine," Betsy acquiesced after a moment. "Think of what you want to wear, and I'll do what I can." A moment later, a flare of emerald light surrounded Emma, obscuring her from everyone's vision. As the light faded, the Hawaiian shirt was replaced with a white, lace corset beneath a white jacket. A pair of white dress pants hugged her hips, flaring out as they reached her feet. And to complete her ensemble, a pair of white, high-heeled sandals adorned her feet.

"That's much better," the former White Queen said simply, running her hands down her legs.

"Well, hell," Jake said, as he noticed everyone else around him. Almost everyone around him was dressed in swimwear. From the massive surf jams Hank was wearing to the flattering bikini Jean was wearing, everyone seemed ready for a day at the pool. His gaze fell to Betsy, standing next to him. She, too, was dressed in a bikini; though it was somewhat more revealing, if possible. "Wow," he said, momentarily taken aback.

"Put your tongue back in your mouth, luv," Betsy said, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. His mouth slammed shut with an audible snap. "That's much better," she said, a wide smile spreading across her face.

"I think … we should, ah, find some clothes for everyone else, too," Jake said, swallowing hard. He concentrated on not ogling his girlfriend; it was neither the time, nor place. "I'm pretty sure, Betsy, that if we combine out power, we can get everyone at once."

"I think you're right," she replied. With a silent countdown, they reached out with their magical energies, surrounding all of their teammates. The emerald light coalesced around their bodies, gliding over them as glowing clouds. "Just think of what you want to wear," Betsy continued, as the energy seemed to grow slightly brighter. Finally, the energy dissipated, leaving newly clothed X-Men behind.

"What did you do," Kurt suddenly cried in panic. He was looking at his hands, now with five fingers each, and without deep blue fuzz. His hands fell to his face, where he no longer felt his familiar teeth, or his elfin ears.

"Besides giving you clothes, we also gave those of you who … may need them magical versions of image inducers," Jake said. Kurt, in fact, looked almost like the image he usually projected – that of Errol Flynn. Hank looked almost like a massive linebacker, as opposed to his normal hairy, feline form. Warren's and Angela's wings were hidden, and Remy's eyes were a deep brown, as opposed to his normal red-on-black.

"If you want to change into your uniform, you have only to think of it," Betsy supplied. Testing the statement, Scott concentrated on his uniform. A laser-thin razor of emerald green energy traveled over his body from head to toe. As it did so, his sunglasses became his battle visor, his clothes becoming his familiar blue uniform. A moment later, the light traveled over him again, changing him back.

"Hey, that's pretty cool," Bobby said, admiringly.

"We've also given each of you fifty dollars in spending money, in case you need it," Jake added. "Now, one question: Does anyone know anything else about where we are?"

"As far as I can tell," Professor Xavier answered, "we are in an alternate reality without mutants." Jake could almost hear the 'but' coming; they wouldn't be X-Men if there wasn't one. "Nonetheless, there seem to be … heroes here as well."

"How did you find that out," Betsy asked, drawing her brows in slight confusion.

"Some o' us ain't as scrupulous as others," Logan said. Just from the way he'd said it, they knew he'd been trolling through at least a few people's minds. Jean, they noted, didn't seem too excited about it, though. Neither did Scott, whose face had somehow become sterner, if at all possible.

"I see," the purple-haired telepath replied. She and Jake caught each other's eyes, and mentally shrugged. There wasn't anything they could do about it now. "Does anyone know anything else about this city?"

"Not much," Warren answered. "What Logan, Jean, and the Professor know pretty much sums it up."

"In that case," Jake began, "we need to explore the city; figure out what kinda mess we're in." His hand came to his chin in thought, a single finger moving over rough stubble. "We're going to have to split up. It'd draw too much attention if the whole group of us were together."

"If we are to do so," the Professor said, "then the groups should be as inconspicuous as possible." He looked around at his gathered X-Men. "Groups no larger than four or five people I think should suffice."

"Each group should go in a different direction, then, as well," Betsy supplied. She turned to the others. "Be sure to keep your communicators on all the time."

- - - -

"Did you see 'Ro," Celeste asked Joey.

"She wasn't exactly happy," the big Apache replied. When they had all split up, Ororo was with Hank, Bobby, and Jubilee. But, as they were leaving, Jubilee had noticed that Emma still wasn't with a group. And the young firecracker had pleaded, and, eventually, argued for her former teacher to come along. The other three had finally caved in, though Ororo had not been especially happy. That, and the fact that Hank was the first to give Emma a shirt, had placed her in something of a bad mood.

"No, she wasn't," Celeste replied, with a small laugh. The two of them were currently walking down a busy street, family-owned shops lining the sidewalks. So far the two of them hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary. Though, Celeste noted that Joey didn't seem especially comfortable with the large number of people around him. But, she knew that he wasn't exactly used to the city.

"I just hope the two of them can get along," Joey said. "I can only imagine the scene they'd make if they were ta get into it."

"I know," Celeste answered. As they were passing another store, she looked over to him. "I'm gonna go in here and get something to drink," she said. "This heat's killer."

Joey followed her inside, the cool air hitting him like a wall. Despite the sudden change from the heat outside to the air conditioned room, he had to admit it was a respite. The day was hot; too hot, even by his standards. He trudged after her, nodding to the cashier as he walked past. The cashier, a balding man with a thick, graying mustache, only looked at him suspiciously. Probably not used to seeing big Injuns, Joey thought cynically.

"Why do they have to have so many different types of water," Celeste asked, speculatively. Standing in front of the bank of refrigerators, there were maybe fifteen or twenty different types of bottled water in the fridge before them. "Water's just water," she continued.

"I know," Joey replied.

"I wonder," Celeste asked, eyeing him, "what the cashier would think if he saw you wolfed out?"

"You saw that," he asked, surprised.

She smiled in reply. "Isn't it nice to know some things never change," she asked, in faux delight. She rolled her eyes, huffing a breath. "Anyways, I'll go pay for these, and then we'll be on our way." She held up a couple of water bottles she'd pulled out seemingly at random.

As she finished talking, the door at the front of the door opened. And then, the one thing they didn't want to hear. "Give me all of your money," a rough voice said. They heard a gun cocking, a shotgun by the sound. "And hurry it up, or yer brains are gonna see the light of day."

"We have to stop them," Celeste said, her Aussie accent deepening. "Go up the center aisle," she told her lover. Her body glowed softly as shifted to her malleable form. "I'll sneak up on them from the side."

Joey nodded in acquiescence even as she flattened herself out on the floor, blending in perfectly. He stood up straight, highlighting his impressive height. He walked into the center aisle, boot heels clicking loudly on the tile. Moving confidently towards the front of the store, he noticed there were, in fact, two robbers. The closest had a shotgun, the other a handgun. The cashier was hurriedly trying to open the box, but, in his fear-addled state, he was having problems.

"Hurry up, asshole," one of the robbers snarled.

"I'm trying," the cashier replied, his accent divulging his Indian ancestry.

"Well, you'd better damn well try – hey!" The two robbers had finally noticed Joey walking towards them. The man with the shotgun spun wildly, the barrel almost pressing into Joey's chest. "What the fuck do ya think yer doin', hero?"

"Nothin'," Joey replied easily. "I just don't wanna see anyone hurt."

"Then you're gonna hafta get on the ground," the man said, jamming the barrel of the gun in his chest.

"I can't let you take his money, either," Joey responded, remaining calm.

"Then I guess yer just shit outta luck, then, ain't cha?" The man poked the gun harder into his chest. "Now get on the fucking ground," the man continued menacingly.

"I can't do that," Joey said. He swatted the barrel of the gun away, taking a swing with a massive fist. But, the man anticipated the move, backing up and raising the gun. The shot caught Joey in the center of his torso, arterial blood spurting angrily out of the wound. Joey stepped back involuntarily, blood loss, shock, and pain muting his voice. His vision began to fade, just as a stalk of colloidal material shot out of the ground, wrapped around the shotgun, and broke it in two.

Joey laid his head on the ground, feeling cold, his body beginning to go into shock from blood loss. But, it was then, as he heard his heartbeat slowing in his ears, that he felt it. He could feel the primal rage roaring through his body, combating the blood loss. His vision began returning, even as his bones and muscles metamorphosed, his conscious mind being subjugated by that of the anger and the bloodlust that was the Wolf.

He stood up, his body only half-transformed. He stalked down the aisle, his body becoming more and more lycanthropic with every step. The cashier, standing behind the counter, dropped the money he was holding, and backed into the wall behind him, muttering in Hindi. The other robber, wondering what had spooked the cashier so, turned … only to see a massive grey werewolf.

"Oh, fuck," the robber whispered, his jaw slack. His handgun hung slackly in his arm. A dark, wet spot appeared on the crotch of his pants, spreading rapidly across the front, and down his legs. He raised his gun, and began screaming, "NO! NO! NO! NO!" Every word was punctuated with a bullet from his gun, striking Joey in the chest.

Joey roared, and in a single motion, pounced on the robber. His heavy landing forced the other man to the ground, Joey's great jaws less than an inch from the man's face. The man brought the gun slowly up to Joey's side, his hand violently shaking. Before the gun reached Joey's side, though, the faux werewolf violently forced the man's hand into the ground. Bones broke as Joey crushed not only the man's hand, but the gun, against the floor. Joey's jaws snapped shut just shy of the man's face, growling menacingly.

In the background, Joey suddenly heard a familiar beeping. But, the primal part of his mind goaded him, wanted him to kill the man. He was beginning to lose the internal battle, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"It's Cyclops," Celeste said simply. In her other hand was her communicator, pressed tightly against her palm. "He's got trouble."

- - - -

Cain Marko walked alongside his stepbrother, currently being pushed by Scott. Thanks to the spell Jake and Betsy had put on them, Cain looked to be about half his real size. He supposed it was to make him stand out less, though he hadn't really thought much about it. His mind was more focused on his stomach, currently growling in protest about not being filled lately.

Though he'd found he didn't have to eat, much the same as it had been under the power of Cytorrak, he still had the urge. And, though he wasn't entirely sure, he suspected that his strength might increase when he ate. Irregardless, he had found that his power levels were the same as when he was beholden to the evil god. And, after being shown what would have happened to him if he'd remained under the god's aegis, he was more than happy to no longer by his avatar.

Of course, the other reason that he'd allowed the power to be taken away was because of seeing his childhood from his brother's eyes.

Now, though, after working alongside the X-Men for the past six months, he'd seen things that cemented his change in livelihood. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he actually felt a sense of pride in what he was doing. Though there were still those who doubted his allegiance, he was comforted by the fact that there were those who did not.

"What's going on over there," Warren suddenly asked, on the other side of Professor Xavier. He pointed across the street, where there were over a dozen police cars surrounding the front of a bank. Guns were pointed at the bank, tension hanging in the air like drapes.

"Looks like a bank robbery," Scott answered.

A moment later, the Professor spoke. "There are three suspects inside, emptying the vault." He paused, concentrating. He looked up, alarmed. "They believe they're superhuman." Even as he finished speaking, the front of the bank exploded outward. Dust and debris littered the street, obscuring the view inside. From the police, they could hear coughing, and the intermittent, confused yell.

As the dust cleared, a figure emerged. A tall man with dark hair stood there. His skin was sickly, sallow, and he seemed to have a gimp leg. The ragged costume he wore was blue and red, with a large "B" enclosed in a shield in the middle of his chest. Beside him, stood a statuesque woman in a skimpy affair, drawing attention to her long legs. As they watched, she grew almost instantaneously, easily attaining a height of fifty feet.

"Looks like we're gonna have some fun," the Juggernaut said eagerly. He pounded a massive fist into a similarly sized palm, the smile on his face reaching his eyes.

Next to the big man, Cyclops placed a call to the other X-Men. A nagging feeling at the back of his mind told him they were going to need everyone here.

Title refers to "Summer in the City" by the Lovin' Spoonful.


	3. First Contact

Chapter 3: First Contact

Scott concentrated on the image of his uniform, seeing the customary blue and yellow in his mind. A moment later, he felt the familiar weight of his battle visor replace his sunglasses. Looking down, he saw that his street clothes had vanished, and been replaced with the uniform he'd had in mind. He caught the eye of both Cain and Warren, and said, "Think of the uniform you want, and it'll appear."

Beside him, Cyclops saw emerald energy travel over Cain, who instantaneously doubled in size, revealing his true girth. His armor began covering his body, as if alive and growing. In the bright summer light, the navy-blue metal shone dully. Warren's image, too, suddenly changed, his wings suddenly appearing. His uniform appeared on him in the same instant, a large "A" in the middle of his chest, a halo encircling its peak.

"Just who are you supposed to be," the woman asked, peering down at them as if they were ants.

"Put the money back, and there won't be any trouble," Cyclops warned. "This is your only warning," he continued, his stoic face reflecting his tone.

"Oh, really," the giant woman said. "And just what are you going to do?" She knelt down, a hand coming out to grab the X-Man. As her massive hand was about to encircle him, Cyclops fired a short burst of crimson energy, hitting her in the center of the palm. "OW! That hurt," she yelled, pulling her hand away. As she did, it swept across the upper corner of the building next to the X-Men.

"Professor!" Debris began raining down on the four of them, the largest chunks heading straight for the Professor. Cyclops fired as fast as he could, obliterating the falling material into little more than dust. But, nonetheless, a single piece of cement, no larger than a marble, struck the older man in the temple. The effect was almost immediate – the Professor collapsed, his head lolling on his chest.

Cyclops came to his mentor immediately, placing fingers to his neck. "He's alive," he said, looking at both Archangel and Juggernaut. Turning towards the winged mutant, he said, "Get him out of the way; it's not safe here." He looked back towards the two who had come out of the bank, as Warren took the Professor to a safer location. "Hopefully, the others will be here soon."

"Finally, I get ta pound somethin'," Juggernaut exclaimed, smiling in anticipation.

"Coming back for more," Giganta asked, raising her foot to squash Cyclops.

"It ain't happenin' today," Juggernaut yelled. As the massive woman's foot came down, he caught the inside of her foot with a punch that could have stunned the Hulk. She stumbled backwards, trying to catch her balance from the powerful blow. Instead, she landed on her backside, her legs sprawled out in front of her.

"No hurt Giganta," Bizarro exclaimed, as he took to the air. But, even as he had left the ground, a crimson beam of energy blasted him back into the bank, making another hole in the front of the building.

"Who are you," the gigantic woman asked, exasperatedly. She reached down to grab Cyclops again, but again, an optic beam struck her. She pulled it back, her hand feeling as if it'd been hit by a bullet.

As the woman pulled back, Bizarro surged through the air, aiming at Cyclops. Unable to get a shot off, the mutant threw himself to the ground, only to see the sallow-skinned villain strike the Juggernaut in the chest. The resulting shockwave threw the X-Man against the wall behind him. As he cleared his head, Cyclops could see that the Juggernaut, living up to his name, hadn't even budged.

"Yer gonna have ta do better than that ta beat the Juggernaut," the armored man proclaimed. Linking his fists, he raised his arms above his head, and struck the floating Bizarro in the chest. The blow was so powerful that not only did the other man fall to the street, but also through it. In the last moment, Bizarro snaked out an arm, and grabbed Juggernaut by the ankle, dragging him below as well.

Cyclops moved away from the hole, anticipating the knock-down, drag-out brawl about to occur. And, even as he did, he could feel tremors as the two powerful combatants traded blows beneath him. He forced himself to concentrate on bigger problems, namely that of a fifty-foot woman still nursing her wound.

Giganta, seeing that the other two had fallen through the street, smiled threateningly. "Now you're all alone," she said simply, reaching down and picking up a car.

"No, he's not," another voice sounded. The massive woman turned her head, only to see a man and a woman standing on top of the building to her right. The woman glowed momentarily with a soft, blue light. She suddenly stretched out, her body encircling the bigger woman's neck. At the same time, Lobo jumped onto the massive woman's arm, his steel-hard claws easily shredding into her skin.

Giganta grabbed the lycanthropic mutant with her other hand, and threw him to the ground. Lobo tumbled end over end on the pavement, finally resting on his back over half a football field length away. His right arm was bent over his head at an awkward angle, his body covered in road rash. He warily stood up a few moments later, his right arm hanging limply from his shoulder. He snarled in pain as he set his upper arm, the bone starting to heal the moment the two ends met.

In the meantime, the massive woman had been pulling at Shift's uber-malleable body that was still around her neck. Now, strands of the beige, clay-like substance that made up the shapeshifter's colloidal body was stretched between Giganta's neck, arms, and hands. She looked as if she'd had an accident making taffy, or a gigantic bubble of gum had exploded over her body. "Get off of me," the woman screamed, pulling more of Shift's body off of her body.

"Hey, Shift," a new man's voice said, "why don't you give the lady what she wants?" Almost immediately, the strands condensed, lowering themselves to the ground. As the strands reached the ground, they morphed into the shape of a shapely woman.

"And just who are you," Giganta asked vehemently, eyeing the newcomer.

"I'm Warlock," he smiled mischievously. He pointed to his side. "And this is Psylocke."

"How quaint," the massive woman exclaimed. "You rhyme!"

"Hon," Warlock said sarcastically, "I think she's criticizing us."

"Luv, I don't think she has room to talk," she replied.

"Considering how short that skirt is, and how high that slit is," he said. He turned back towards Giganta. "Y'know, looking at that slit, I bet you're going commando right now, aren't ya?" He raised his eyebrows suggestively. "Personally, I hope you're keeping up your hygiene … down there," he said, pointing vaguely to the lower part of her body.

"Pervert," Giganta seethed. Bending down, she easily plucked a car from the street.

"I wouldn't do that," Psylocke warned her simply.

"Why," the towering woman asked, death in her eyes.

"Oh, we're just keeping you busy until our back up arrives," Warlock answered. Even as he spoke, a black and green blur flew past the woman's head. The blur dove towards the street, turning on the way. Pulling up at the last instant, the blur accelerated towards Giganta's chin. The punch knocked the woman thirty feet back, her body tearing up the street as she landed.

Rogue floated in the air, looking at the unconscious woman on the ground. "Sugah," she said, floating down to the two team leaders, "she wasn't as tough as ya'll were makin' her out ta be."

"Yes, well, if were able to throw a bus over our heads, we would think the same," Psylocke answered facetioiusly.

"That was quite a punch," a new voice said from behind them.

The three of them turned as one, to see a muscular man touch down. His dark hair contrasted with his skin, his uniform a bright blue, a red cape billowing in the wind behind him.

Warlock turned to Rogue, "Who's the steroidal blueberry?" She shrugged in response.

"If I'm not mistaken, I'm a friend," the man replied.

"And we should take you at your word for that," Warlock questioned.

The man smiled, knowingly. "I would never expect you to."

"Hello, Superman," a voice said behind the three X-Men. They turned as one, to see a man in a full suit of bionic armor, his features obscured by a glowing yellow visor. "I've been waiting for you." He raised a small, futuristic rifle to his shoulder.

"Don't move," Cyclops yelled. His face was set stubbornly, his hand on his visor, ready to fire. "Not unless you want to be blown into next Tuesday."

The armored man turned his head towards the Summers brother. "My, are we making a threat, … Scott," he asked, menacingly.

Cyclops jerked in surprise at hearing his name; he looked almost as if he'd been punched in the face. It was this surprise that the armored man banked on – in the time that Scott had been getting over his surprise, the man had leveled his rifle at him. He smiled sinisterly as his finger tightened on the trigger.

In the moment between the firing of the round, and the round hitting Cyclops' chest, Superman had moved into the projectile's path. Acting as a veritable shield, the bolt of red energy cascaded over his body as if living lightning. But, even as it struck him, it weakened the nigh-invincible Kryptonian, bringing him almost instantly to his knees.

"Heroes," the man said, disgustedly. "So predictable." A moment later the ground beneath him rumbled violently, a mound suddenly forming in the pavement. He was staring at the ground dumbstruck when it exploded outward, a violet comet rushing out from the street. Moving at impossible speeds, the comet ran into the armored man, dragging him along. They flew into the air, disappearing in the distance.

"He wanted ta fly," came a rough voice, accompanied by an unmistakable tread. A moment later, the Juggernaut's head appeared from beneath the street. Seeing the collapsed Superman, he asked, "What'd I miss?"

Giganta began to stir just in time to see her two compatriots take an unwanted flight into the next county. Raising herself on her elbows, she saw that the number of heroes had only risen. Seeing Superman collapsed on the ground, she saw her chance to get away. Shrinking, he slinked away, no one giving her the barest bit of attention as they concentrated on the fallen hero.

- - - -

"So, what's wrong with him," Jake asked.

"Honestly," Hank replied, crouched next to the hero, "I've no idea whatsoever." He and Ororo had only arrived minutes earlier, just in time to see Warren and the Professor return. The blue-furred doctor had looked at the elder man's wound, and had pronounced that he should regain consciousness at any moment. He had then started seeing to his other patient.

"What do you mean," Jake asked, crouching down next to the doctor.

"I have been unable to even touch his skin," Hank replied. "I suspect he has a form of force field that covers his body." He sighed, rubbing his chin. "I have been unable to even find his pulse."

Betsy stood next to the two of them, studying the prone hero. "We can't leave him here in the middle of the street," she said. "Let's move him over to the sidewalk." She motioned to Warren, and the four of them made to pick him up.

But, just as they bent down, his eyes opened suddenly, almost violently. The movement surprised Hank and Jake, the two of them at his arms. "Well, that was unexpected," the X-Men's co-leader said.

"How true you are," Hank replied, as he knelt to speak with Superman. He noticed that the man's eyes were clouding over, as if red ink was being spread throughout the surface. He backed away, almost instinctually. As he did so, the blue-clad hero sat up rapidly, so fast it was barely registered by the others.

He looked around, the solid red of his eyes disarming, spooky even. His gaze seemed to settle on each of the X-Men gathered, the blank, hundred yard stare making them feel as if they were naked. Finally, he looked down to his hands, studying his palms. He rotated his hands, and made them into fists, his muscles creaking as if steel girders as they did so. He smiled eerily; somehow it didn't seem to reach his eyes.

"How do you feel," Hank asked, concernedly.

"I feel just … dandy," Superman replied, almost cheekily. He closed his hand into a fist, and in a stunningly fast movement, lashed out at the blue, felinoid mutant. Hank was just able to dodge the blow, cartwheeling out of the way. He realized, as he landed in a crouch, that if he'd been any closer, he'd have lost something.

"Hey, whaddaya think yer doin'," Cain yelled, already walking forward, his fists clenched. In reply, the Kyrptonian's eyes alit with crimson fire, beams of pure heat striking the Juggernaut's chest. The veritable mountain looked down with the annoyed look a normal man might consider a mosquito. He looked up, a malicious smile beneath his helmet. "That tickles," he laughed. "Now, why don't ya come closer, so I can show ya what I can do."

The other man's face lit up with a chilling smile, his eyes full of hatred. He pulled back his fist, and flew at the armored man, the punch connecting at supersonic speeds. The collision between the two was like an explosion, a pressure wave spreading from the crash.

"We're going to have to end this soon," Psylocke said, slowly getting up. Everyone had been thrown to the ground from the air escaping the collision; that is everyone except for the Juggernaut. Sitting up, she grimaced, pain arcing up her lower back; she realized she must have landed wrong. She shook her head, her ears ringing slightly. "Otherwise, there'll be nothing left of us."

"Tell me about it," Warlock said, next to her, getting up a little slower himself.

"Ah've already had enough of this," Rogue said, taking her gloves of purposefully. She took off without a second thought, aiming for the Kryptonian.

"Rogue, don't," Warlock yelled after her. He didn't want whatever had happened to Superman to her; but he was already too late to warn her.

As the Juggernaut and Superman were about to face off, once again, she descended from above. She planted her hands on either side of the Kryptonian's head, raw power surging through their connection. Dizziness threatened her hold as power and memories began flooding her body. She clutched her eyes together, clenching her teeth, to fight against the dizzy spell, determined not to let go.

"Let me go," he yelled. He slowly ascended into the air, his teeth clenched as his life force flowed into the X-Woman. He raised his hands to hers, pulling them away, only to feel pain arc through his hands as she continued absorbing. Concentrating, he flipped her over his head, and with a singular thrust, threw her to the ground.

Rogue landed in an explosion of dust and debris, creating an impact crater in the street. But, even as she fell, a maroon SUV was thrown through the air, catching the unsuspecting Superman in the back, hurtling him down the street. The other X-Men turned to see Shadowcat and Colossus standing next to Gambit. Even as they watched, the others arrived, bolstering their numbers.

"Chere," Gambit asked tentatively, as he rushed over to Rogue's side. Beast and the others were immediately behind him, gathering around their teammate. "She gon' be alright, Hank?"

Before the blue doctor could answer, Rogue opened her eyes, looking to her lover. "Relax, Remy," she said. "A little fall ain't gonna hurt me." She sat up easily, standing up just as quickly. She looked down to her left hand, flexing it into a fist experimentally. She smiled crookedly, "A girl could get used ta this."

"How do you feel," Beast asked.

"Ah feel…," she said, thoughtfully. "Ah feel like Ah'm full o' power, almost like Ah absorbed … a sun." Suddenly, she closed her eyes, her face twisting into a grimace of terror. "Somethin's wrong," she cried.

"What," Warlock asked.

"Ah … think Ah got more than just his memories."

"You mind," Warlock asked. She shook her head no. With her permission, he entered her mind. Immediately, he saw a farm, with a motherly woman, in what was apparently Kansas. He saw evil beings so powerful, they could have been demigods. Teammates, and friends passed through the periphery of his mind, though many memories concentrated on a singular dark-haired woman.

At the same time, he saw a dead world, bathed in low, red light. The ground beneath was to the touch, the air itself thick and noxious. Fear rippled in his chest, his testicles shriveling, his teeth clinching, as he saw a dark castle set against a volcanic mountain. Evil seemed to come off in waves, and he knew that somewhere in that castle, unspeakable atrocities were done with malevolent glee.

"Fuck," he breathed, coming back to the real world. "I think he's been possessed … but by what, I don't know." He looked back at Rogue. "You got the memories of whatever it was that's in him, as well."

"Well…," she began. But, she was interrupted by the sound of metal screeching against pavement. Superman stood up, entirely unscathed, an unnatural smile gracing his face. He floated into the air, keeping his gaze on the group of them. Suddenly, the charged forward, moving so fast, he was barely more than a streak. But, in the same instant, Rogue charged forward as well, cocking her arm in the process.

The two of them met twenty feet in the air, their punches sending out pressure waves from the blows. Each blow landed could be felt in the ground, as if thunder was rolling overhead. Superman suddenly landed a punch to Rogue's chest, sending her crashing into the asphalt, forming a crease in the street as she did so. But, the moment that Rogue was out of the way, Hardcase, waiting for a clear shot, fired a six-inch rocket. Though small, it hit the Kryptonian in the back, the explosion grounding him violently.

Lying on the ground, he looked up hatefully, his teeth bared in what could have been a snarl. He seemed to be about to lift off to intercept the armored woman, when a lighting bolt struck him in the chest, momentarily stunning him. He turned around, to see a floating Storm above him. Before he could react, a quick succession five more lighting bolts struck him, stunning him that much more.

As the last bolt struck, Psylocke reached out her arm, molten lava seemingly pouring forth from her hand. As the lava reached Superman's head, Iceman cooled down the molten rock, hardening it into a veritable prison. But, even as the rock settled, the possessed hero looked down, heat beams melting the newly hardened rock.

"We're not going to be able to keep this up long," Psylocke said, backing up from the powerful alien.

"Tell me about it," Warlock replied, as he caught sight of the Professor. The elderly man had his eyes closed in deep concentration. Warlock was about to ask what he was doing, but the sudden need to dodge half a ton of newly formed granite took precedence.

- - - -

Charles Xavier stepped cautiously into the dome, having no idea what he should expect. While his X-Men had been physically battling the threat that this possessed Superman posed, he had began entering his mind as soon as he'd heard the conversation between Warlock and Rogue.

He had been able to sneak into the man's mind, without whatever possessed him knowing. It seemed that the thing, whatever it was, had not sheared up its outward defenses well. It had, however, imprisoned the mind of this Superman within a green, glowing dome.

Now, entering the dome, he saw the inside seemed to be a blank, white space. The only thing he could see from the inside was the curvature of the dome; nothing else. In the center of the room, however, stood the solitary form of the Kyrptonian, gazing at him.

"How did you get in here," Superman asked.

"I'm a telepath," the Professor answered. "The thing that has taken over your mind didn't shore up all of its defenses. It only ensured that it had imprisoned you." He stopped, and reached out his hand. "My apologies," he continued, "my name is Charles Xavier."

"You're with the people that are … fighting him … me."

"Yes," the Professor replied. He was about to continue, when he felt the creature do something. He looked to the other man. "What's going on?"

The Kryptonian concentrated, looking away into the distance. "He's calling for backup."


	4. It Begins

Chapter Four: It Begins

"Backup," the Professor replied, quietly. He seemed to contemplate on this, his hand on his chin. "In that case, we should either try to get you back in control of your body or …"

"Or what," the other man asked, his face growing suspicious.

"It may take some time to gain control of your body," the elder man answered. "The control that this thing has is … almost overwhelming. We may not be able to gain control of your mind before someone is hurt, or worse, killed."

"Then, what do we do in the meantime," Superman asked.

"We prevent him from accessing your abilities."

- - - -

"I'm really beginning to hate this guy," Iceman said. They'd still been unable to make much headway against the powerful hero. Every time they seemed to make a difference, the Kryptonian seemed to shrug off their attacks. So far, they'd found that the only ones that could go toe to toe with him were the Juggernaut, and Rogue, after she'd absorbed Superman's powers. Everyone else only seemed to be as nothing more than gnats to him.

"Tell me about it," Jubilee answered. As they watched, both Warlock and Psylocke created magical globules of green energy around their hands. They held out their arms, emerald energy flowing from them in bright streams. The energy struck him in the chest, but seemed to leave him unaffected. "Were you guys planning on ticking him off, or was that just a side effect?"

_No, it was only a diversion_, Warlock's voice echoed in her head.

"A diversion," she asked out loud. Only a moment later, did she realize she shouldn't have said anything.

The possessed hero turned his head towards her, staring intently, almost as if he'd heard her. He turned around, looking above him, only to have a fast-moving yellow blur slam into his chest. Silver flashed in the sunlight in the second before white-hot pain burst through his shoulders, making him cry out. He lost his concentration, falling to ground like a speeding bullet.

The Kryptonian looked up to see a small man on his chest, the man's fists flush against his shoulders. Superman gritted his teeth through the pain as he grabbed Wolverine by the wrists. He pulled Wolverine's fists back, discovering, to his surprise, six blades, each almost a foot long. "Puny human," Superman growled, squeezing the other man's wrists with all his might. He delighted in the mask of pain on Wolverine's face as flesh, muscles, and tendons were torn as if nothing more than tissue paper. "You do not have the might to challenge me, lesser," he continued. He transferred both wrists to his left hand, and with a slight backhand throw, tossed the X-Man the length of a football field down the street. The powerful hero turned around towards the other heroes, his wounds completely healed, with a grin that said it all.

Suddenly, from across the street, a silver blur rushed Superman, plowing his shoulder into the other man's stomach. The two landed almost ten feet away, plowing into the pavement, the scar in the street marking their movement. Colossus raised his fist, and began pelting the other man with punches powerful enough to bring down a building. The Kryptonian's head rocked back with each punch, creating a smaller crater in the pavement beneath. But, the big Russian realized, belatedly, his punches were having no effect on the other man.

As Colossus' fist fell once again, Superman caught it in mid-strike. The armored mutant looked to his arm in surprise, unaccustomed to his strength being so easily outmatched. "You'll have to do better than that if you wish to defeat me," the possessed Kryptonian said. He raised his legs to his chest, and, as if doing a leg press, launched the other man off him. Colossus' body flew into the air at almost Mach 1, a silver comet taking to the sky.

"Rogue," Psylocke said simply, as Colossus crashed through the top of a skyscraper.

"Already on it, sugah," Rogue replied, taking to the air. Even as she followed her teammate, though, he seemed to disappear into the distance.

- - - -

"Logan," Jean asked, kneeling next to her husband. He'd been thrown so hard, he'd almost folded the car he landed on in two. Glass shards poked out of his body at odd angles, especially the back of his arms. Smaller pieces of glass glistened in his hair, a long gash running along the side of his face. The backs of his legs received the worse case of road rash she'd ever seen; he'd slid across the pavement for the last ten yards or so at about the speed of sound. "Logan," she asked again. She tried to ignore the smell of the blood that had pooled around him; it was even worse with a heightened sense of smell.

"'m okay," he mumbled, barely audible. His eyes rolled forward, glazed in pain. He gritted his teeth as he leaned forward.

"Logan, don't," she said, putting her hands on his shoulders. "You're hurt."

"I'll heal," he said gruffly. He grunted, baring his teeth slightly, as he concentrated on taking the glass shards out of his body. Already, the scar on his face was almost half its size, and his blood had stopped dripping from his legs. Once again, he leaned forward, and slowly got to his feet, wobbling slightly. "See, told ya," he said. But, even as he said it, he had to support himself on what was left of the car he'd landed on.

"Stubborn, bull-headed man," Jean huffed.

"Ya wouldn't have it any other way," Logan said, teasingly. Jean rolled her eyes exasperatedly, knowing there really was nothing she could do to change him. She was about to reply to him, when suddenly, a blue light registered in her peripheral vision.

"What now," she asked, as figures took shape within the light.

"I ain't too sure, Jeannie," he replied. As the light began to fade, and the figures became solid, he took a ready stance: head low, arms wide. Several people now stood before them, clad in bright, tight fitting costumes. Beyond a shadow of doubt, they knew that these people were here for them. And, for one reason or another, Logan's attention was drawn to one of them.

He was dressed in dark colors, as opposed to the others. A black, or very dark blue, cape was wrapped around his shoulders, almost like a cloak. His mouth was set in a stoic, expressionless line. The top of his head was covered in a cowl, with twin points on top. It occurred to him that he was dressed as a bat; probably to intimidate his enemies. But, it was lost on the X-Man.

- - - -

"Hey," a rough voice said from behind the possessed Kryptonian. He turned in time to see an armored fist strike him in the face. "That was my little buddy," the Juggernaut said, referring to Colossus. The solar-powered hero fell to the ground from the force of the blow, slightly stunned.

"I would hardly call him small," the possessed Superman growled.

"Yeah, when yer as big as me, there ain't too much bigger," the armored man replied. He tried to plant a massive foot on the chest of the other man, but he moved out of the way with an eye-numbing quickness. In the blink of an eye, the Kryptonaian powerhouse pounded the Juggernaut with a smattering of blows, each one powerful enough to vaporize a normal human. The armored man took each blow easily as he moved forward, his magically-empowered momentum carrying him forward. He struck out with his own powerful blow, only to have it easily dodged. He tried to backhand Superman, but again, the other man was too fast. "Stop movin', an' fight me," the Juggernaut said, aggravation slipping into his voice.

"Cain," a woman's voice spoke suddenly in his ear.

"What," he asked, speaking into his communicator.

"He's too fast for you to fight him in the open," Psylocke said. "You need to get him into an enclosed space."

"Whaddaya sayin'," he asked gruffly, as he tried to wrap his arms around Superman. The other man was easily able to dodge the massive man's arm.

"Get him into the sewers," she replied.

"I was just there," he groused. Preoccupied, and standing still, he didn't see the punch in his peripheral vision until it was too late. He turned in just as the punch connected in the center of his chest, sending him hurtling into the two-story music shop behind him. The Juggernaut landed on a piano, crushing the instrument like nothing more than kindling. He raised his head to see the hole he'd made in the front of the store.

The entire glass front had been shattered, various pristine instruments becoming nothing more than hunks of junk as he fell through them. He stood up, looking at the piano he'd landed on, only to see what he thought might've been a saxophone at one time, as well. He turned to the front of the store as a cracking sound echoed in his ears. The ceiling was beginning to sag towards the front. And, before he could react, the cracking multiplied on itself, as the ceiling suddenly collapsed on top of him, burying him beneath its bulk.

- - - -

Superman landed on the ground, arms crossed confidently over his chest. A small smirk crossed his face, confident in his superiority over his enemies. "Who's next," he asked.

"Dude," Jubilee intoned, "I so wouldn't want to be you right now." Even as she said it, the building under which the Juggernaut was buried began shifting. The movement caught the Kryptonian's attention, his head turning sharply at the sound. He took a cautious step forward, his eyes beginning to glow as he concentrated on his X-ray vision.

Confusion spread over his features, as the glow in his eyes faded as fast as it had appeared. He tried again, only to find the same thing happen again. Confusion turned to anger as realization dawned. Concentrating on what was going on his mind, he was unready for the charging Juggernaut.

- - - -

"I've been able to shut off his access to your heat- and x-ray vision," the Professor told the Kryptonian in the mindscape.

"That's the farthest you've gotten," the other man asked, surprised.

"The defenses this being has are remarkable, to say the least," the telepath replied. "Only one of my students could conceivably shut down this creature's access to your mind faster than I."

"Those are your students … out there," Superman asked, gesturing vaguely.

"Yes," the Professor answered. "And though they are having a difficult time, they are increasingly annoying it. At this point, my step-brother is the one that is causing him the most problems; though I believe you are stronger, he is undoubtedly more durable, and entirely unstoppable."

It was then that a loud pounding was heard on the outside of the dome. A large crack suddenly appeared where the sound came from, running up the side. Hands appeared in the crack, pressing in opposite directions. Pieces of the dome broke off from the strength of the hands, shattering on the ground as nothing more than glass. As the gap widened, a figure appeared, cloaked in shadow. But, before the figure could enter, silver metal suddenly appeared in runnels, running together and building on itself. As it continued building, it began making a dome, just inside the previous.

"Are you doing this," Superman asked, looking on amazed.

"Yes," the Professor answered. The dome completed itself, just as the pounding started again. This time, though, the sound echoed through the dome, like organ pipes being hit by other metal pipes. As the sound died, he told the other man, "We don't have much time; he may be able to break through before I'm finished. When that happens, he will force me out."

"Then, let's get to work," Superman said.

- - - -

The Juggernaut tackled Superman, his shoulder driving into the other man's midsection. As the larger man slowed, the Kryptonian slipped off his shoulder, falling to the pavement. Superman kicked out at the armored man's knee, hoping to slow him down. Having stopped, the magically empowered X-Man fell to one knee, as his other was kicked out from beneath him.

"Yer goin' to pay for that," Cain growled through his clenched teeth. A massive fist lunged out, hitting the other man in the shoulder. Superman's shoulder bit into the cement beneath him, carving out a small depression. The brightly dressed hero retaliated with a punch to the Juggernaut's midsection.… But, it did nothing to stop him. The momentum for which he was known for carried him forward, despite the Hulk-like strength of the punch. The armored man only smiled beneath his helmet, as he stood over the other man, and raised his fist.

The Juggernaut punched downward, using his weight to increase the power of his blow. Superman's body jerked like a rag-doll against the pavement, his body creating a deeper hole. He looked up, his teeth bared, his eyes full of unnatural anger that would've never been seen on the Big Blue Boy Scout's face. Only then did they hear the loud cracking around them.

Looking up, Cain saw tiny fissures in the pavement spreading outwards from them, almost like cracks spreading out in a piece of glass. He stood up, and was about to move, when a much louder crack rang out almost directly beneath him. "Damn," he swore under his breath, even as the cracking became that much louder. He and Superman suddenly disappeared beneath the ground, swallowed by a hole of their own making.

"Back up! Back up! Back up!" Warlock's loud voice suddenly sounded. The hole continued spreading, the cracks seemingly to almost seek out the people standing around it. It became a veritable sinkhole, as the two building closest to it began to sag, and dip. They fell slowly, almost as if some invisible force was slowing time, and fighting gravity. Finally, as the sinkhole spread out further, their walls collapsed beneath the pavement, the rest of the buildings following behind.

"Damn," Bishop said, his general stoicism momentarily broken. He suddenly felt tremors run up his legs, as if an earthquake was beginning. The tremors, though, seemed to be interspersed, with random intervals. It slowly dawned on him, and on the others, that the tremors were the continuation of the fight below ground. Every now and then, a particularly loud shudder caught their ears, as the blows traded reached strengths almost beyond measurement.

As the gathered X-Men listened to the veritable clash of Titans beneath them, they were almost unprepared for the message that tore through their minds a moment later.

_We've got company!_ Jean's telepathic voice tore through their minds, bringing them back to the present.

_Where are you_, Psylocke asked, hearing and feeling the concern.

_Down the street_, Jean answered. _You won't miss us._

- - - -

"We're not here to fight you," Jean's voice called out to the people facing them.

"You have a nice way of showing it," a red-haired woman answered, sarcastically. Feathered wings hung from her back, while a large mace was grasped in her hands, crackling with energy.

"Where's Superman," another woman asked. This one was tall, athletic, and seemed to carry herself with a royal air. Her dark hair was held away from her face via a golden circlet, and wore an armored corset that hinted at expansive cleavage.

"He's busy," Wolverine growled, taking a defensive stance. His lips were bared in a snarl, sizing up each of the opposing heroes, more than ready to fight them all.

"Last chance," the bat-dressed man replied. "Where is he?" His flint-like voice betrayed no emotion, his face retaining the same stoicism.

"I got six answers for ya, bub," Wolverine answered, as his claws sprung from his hands. If the other man was surprised, he didn't show it; at least one of the others, though, had taken an involuntary step backward. The winged woman with the mace raised her weapon in response, and took two steps forward. Wolverine's attention was drawn towards her the moment she moved … but it was a diversion.

Batman whipped out a weapon the moment the X-Man's attention was on Shayera. In the moment it was thrown, though, Jean threw up a shield, the batarang ricocheting off of it harmlessly. At the same time, though, Wolverine's attention was drawn back on Batman, a constant growl coming from the back of his throat. Shayera began to advance again, the moment his attention was deferred.

She was able to walk all of two steps before a concentrated beam of blue energy struck the ground at her feet. The Thanagarian woman was thrown backwards from the blow, landing hard on her back. As her head cleared, she saw Seraph land, the dark-haired woman's three pairs of overlapping wings folding on her back. "You didn't think it would be that easy, did you," the winged mutant asked. In response, the other woman stood up, and charged her, the mace crackling, once again, with energy.

Seraph easily ducked the swinging mace, moving backwards from the dangerous weapon. Shayera swung again, the crackling energy of the mace passing almost within a hair's breadth of her nose. The mace came swinging once again … but Seraph caught the weapon in mid-swing. "You'll have to try harder than that," Seraph said, pulling the other woman in close. She wrapped her right-hand wings around her arm, and hit the other woman in the chest, sending her flying.

Seraph noted, that as the Thanagarian rose, she looked surprised. It almost seemed to her that the woman had never considered using her wings as weapons.

At the same time, an explosion of air caught the attention of the gathered heroes. "_Gottentaag_," Nightcrawler greeted jovially, even as several people took involuntary steps backward. The limber mutant's attention was drawn, however, towards a man seemingly dressed like Robin Hood. The man reached for a an arrow from a quiver on his back, and took aim at the furred mutant.

As the arrow flew, Nightcrawler teleported, the smell of brimstone permeating the air. The arrow head exploded into a green boxing glove as it flew through the thick smoke, hitting nothing. "Where'd he go," Green Arrow asked, surprised.

"Behind you," the other man answered. The blonde turned quickly, only to have the smaller man leap onto him, hugging him tightly. "Hold on," Nightcrawler said, smiling widely. He disappeared in a cloud, teleporting with the other man in his grasp. In rapid succession, he appeared and disappeared at random points along the street, the opposing heroes turning their heads at every bamf. He finally stopped, letting go of the other man.

The man known as Green Arrow fell to his knees, and promptly lost his lunch, before collapsing to the ground, unconscious.

A burst of red energy lanced out towards the indigo mutant. But, he leapt out of the way, just as the energy beam struck the ground where he'd been a moment before. He looked up to see a man with a prismatic body, the image of an atom on his chest. Energy began to coalesce around his fists again, readying another blast, when he was suddenly turned around by another blast of energy.

Captain Atom turned to see Bishop, his own fists bright with energy, his eyes aglow. The nuclear empowered man fired a small blast of energy at the time-tossed mutant … only to see the energy seemingly absorb into the other man's body. "I've taken more than that in my sleep," Bishop taunted.

- - - -

Phoenix was currently fighting the woman dressed in the corset. The one thing the red-head had found about the other woman was that she packed a helluva punch. The tall woman's fist came crashing into her chin, sending her flying.

She landed twenty feet away, and began sliding on her arm, road rash going down the length. Though she wasn't entirely sure, Jean thought she may've passed out for a moment. When she looked up, the woman was almost upon her. Without thinking, she created a TK wall, and pressed as hard as she could against the woman. She flew backwards, a surprised look on her face.

Taking the short reprieve, Phoenix stood up, trying to ignore the pain in her arm. She looked down to see her skin already beginning to heal. Bits of gravel and dirt forced themselves out of her dermis as it healed, the intense burning of healing never abating. She looked up to see the dark-haired woman flying towards her, picking up speed as she did. She was about to swat her away, when the woman suddenly fell from the sky … almost as if a heavy weight bore her down.

She looked around to see what had just happened, only to see Cable approaching her. _Thank you, Nathan_, she spoke to him telepathically. He nodded slightly, even as he approached.

"Warlock wants you to look after Xavier," he said, as he stood next to her. Phoenix nodded an affirmative, going back towards her mentor. Even as she did, the Amazon stood up from the crater she'd made in the pavement, and flew towards him in an explosion of speed. The dark-haired woman reached him before he put up a shield, and easily lifted him into the air.

"Who are you," she demanded, "and where's Superman?" She was holding him fifteen feet in the air, a single arm holding him up by the front of his uniform.

_Someone you don't want to mess with,_ Cable answered telepathically. Her eyes widened in surprise at hearing his voice in her head, her grip slackening ever so slightly. Seeing his chance, he put her arm behind her back, holding her in place, all the while keeping himself afloat. He caught sight of Bishop and Captain Atom exchanging blows out of the corner of his eye. Giving the other time-tossed mutant a head's up, he tossed Wonder Woman into the nuclear-empowered League member.

But, Cable already knew they'd be back … he hadn't tossed her anywhere near as hard as he could.

- - - -

Nightcrawler was fighting a blonde woman clad entirely in black, who seemed to be particularly angry at him. He assumed that the man dressed as Robin Hood was her lover.

"Come now," he said, tauntingly, "I'm sure you can do better than that." She was obviously extremely skilled in martial arts; despite his innate agility she had been able to tag him several times. He dodged a low kick to his abdomen, as she struck out with a flurry of blows. He struck back, but most of his own blows were blocked. He noticed, as they were fighting, that she made a point of staying out of grabbing distance.

She suddenly let out with a flurry of kicks, randomly striking at his abdomen, face, or legs. He teleported, reappearing above her, and, flipping in mid-air, landed on her shoulders. He swung his body down, his left leg touching the ground, while he planted his right against her mid-section. Using his momentum, he fell backwards, throwing her in the same movement.

"That was pretty good," she said, slowly getting back up. "But this is better," she continued. She drew in a deep breath, and screamed, sound waves acting more as a force than sound. Nightcrawler covered his ears in pain, gritting his teeth. The very force of her scream knocked him over; he was barely able to stay conscious even after she stopped.

"Perhaps it would be better if you were to fight someone your own size," a cultured voice spoke behind the woman known as Black Canary. The blonde turned, only to see Storm standing behind her, her eyes clouded over in power. The former goddess assailed the other woman, her training under Logan more than enough to keep her busy. She blocked a punch from the blonde, and with her free hand struck her in the stomach. At the last moment, she gathered a small amount of electrical charge to her hand. Though it was a small charge for her, it was enough to easily knock the other woman unconscious.

But, as the blonde fell to the ground, a pair of arms snaked around her chest, and hugged her tightly. "Let's see if you can get out of this," a woman's voice said. She looked over her shoulder to see a woman in a low-cut, orange uniform.

Storm began struggling to get free, but the woman's arms were like steel cables wrapping her in a cocoon. In that moment, she felt the cold grip of fear on her heart, as the old claustrophobia struck up again. She gritted her teeth, closing her eyes as hard as she could, as she tried, unsuccessfully, to fight it off. But, as the phobia overtook her, a psychic premonition hit her mind with such power, her head rocked back, striking the other woman in the face. The suddenness of the movement made Vixen drop her hold on Storm, the X-Woman falling to the ground, her eyes glossed over in white, glowing energy.

- - - -

In her minds eye, Storm was standing on what she knew to be Earth … but it was all wrong.

The earth was brown, dead, and burned. All traces of life had been destroyed by something … powerfully evil. Before her was a plain completely devoid of … anything. For as far as she could see, the ground was an unnatural color of brown, everything including what was in the dirt having died. Thick, greasy smoke billowed out of several dozen mounds around her.

"Goddess," she whispered. "What has happened here?" A sudden hissing sound sang out behind her, startling her. Turning, she was shocked to see something that seemed to look like a worm. But, it was almost twenty feet long, and had tentacles that came together to a point for a snout. It suddenly reared up, the hissing becoming louder, putting her on edge.

She backed away, summoning wind and lightning … only to discover nothing happened. She backed up even further, as the tentacles opened, to reveal a mouth encircled by sharp, black teeth. Still, she continued to back away … until her shoulder bumped into something hard as a rock.

She turned quickly, taking a fighting stance, only to feel her stomach double on itself. She clutched at her stomach, as it revolted at the unnatural.

"Welcome," said the creature. It stood on what looked like goat's legs, only the feet were black and chitinous. The feet curled under his legs, the toes pointing backwards. Its chest glistened with moisture, its arms long, and muscular. It hands ended in sharp claws similar to its toes. But, most hideous was its face.

Its face was elongated into a snout. Its yellow dog-like teeth seemed diseased, pieces of enamel splintering off. Its jaundiced eyes seemed to glow with malice, its face covered in brown fuzz. Long, wild hair grew from its head, its ears pointed.

She looked behind the creature, to see three massive beings behind him. Something told her that each was extraordinarily dangerous alone, but together, they were nigh unstoppable. As her gaze fell on the first, she knew his name. "Eiling," she said, softly.

Her eyes traveled to the second, who was uglier than the first. "Doomsday."

And, finally, her eyes traveled to the third. "Darkseid."

"Very good," the first creature said. "Now what is my name?"

As the name came to her, she felt suddenly sick, chills running up her spine, fear once again clasping her heart. "Utzarákh."

AN: Sorry for the amount of time I've taken to update; I was taking a grad class, looking for work in my field, and working - so I was just a wee bit on the busy side.


	5. Of Wolverines, Bats, & Little? Green Men

Chapter Five: Of Wolverines, Bats, and (Little?) Green Men

**Several minutes earlier…**

As Seraph's blast struck the ground, Wolverine used the distraction to send a wall of TK crashing into Batman, sending him crashing into a dumpster at the mouth of an alley. Despite the strength of the blow, the dark-clad man stood up almost immediately, shaking off the blow. He looked up, seeing the X-Man stalking towards him, and weighed his chances. As the X-Man continued forward, Batman made his decision, and retreated into the alley.

As Wolverine entered the mouth of the alley, he found no trace of the other man. He sniffed the air, and found the other man's scent, going deeper into the alley. He followed the trail carefully, making sure he continued to parse out the man's scent amongst the smells of rotting garbage, and stale piss. He was consciously blocking out the latter two scents, though; if he didn't, his eyes would be watering. It was because of this concentration that it took him a moment to realize Batman's scent stopped suddenly.

He started parsing the scents again, and picked out the smallest hint of some kind of mechanical lubricant. "Musta had some kinda grapple," Wolverine whispered. As he did so, he suddenly felt eyes staring at him. He circled warily, trying to figure out where the other man was hiding. He smiled inwardly as he did so; he'd realized they were hunting each other. As he finished his turn, he heard the slightest movement, fabric moving in the breeze, above him.

Wolverine marked the spot in his mind, and moved towards the shadows in the alley. Even at this time of day, the narrow alley had natural cover, the sun casting shadows all along it. The feral mutant spotted a slight dogleg in the alleyway, and smiled to himself. If he could make it there, and remain in the shadows, he could lift himself up to the roof without being seen.

Remaining in the shadows, he made it to the small dogleg. Looking back, he could see the other man looking down into the alley, looking for him. Wolverine began lifting himself towards the roof slowly, not wanting the movement to be caught in Batman's peripheral vision. He didn't dare use his claws as pitons, instead choosing to use his TK to lift him up. In the back of his mind, he once again marveled at the easiness that telekinesis brought.

He lifted himself just enough so that he could hold himself up by his hands. He peered over the edge, to see the Batman still looking into the alley. But, Wolverine knew that he had to act fast, or he would lose the element of surprise. The other man, he knew, would begin to suspect something soon, if he didn't already. He pulled himself over the edge, satisfied the other man hadn't seen him yet.

On the roof, he straightened slowly, and decided to let the other man know he was there. "Hey, bub!" The other man's reaction was faster than he would have thought possible.

A black … batarang flew out of the other man's hands almost immediately, aimed expertly at Wolverine's face. The X-Man was able to bring up his unsheathed claws just in time, cutting the metal boomerang into several pieces just before it struck. Again, if the other man was surprised, he didn't show it; what was visible of his face remained entirely stoic. Wolverine continued forward, claws sheathed, and ready, his lips pulled back into a snarl. In a movement almost too fast for the X-Man to see, Batman reached into his utility belt, and threw several small, grey balls.

Wolverine realized what they were the moment before they smashed next to his feet. Compressed tear gas erupted form the small balls as they burst, reaching the mutant's nose in less than a second. Immediately, his nose, mouth, and eyes began burning from the gas, as it mixed with his mucus. He stumbled forward, trying to get out of the small gas cloud.

Tears were running down his cheeks in burning runnels, the mucus collecting at the back of his throat feeling like a bonfire. "That all ya got, bub," Wolverine asked hoarsely. "Tear gas? I've had worse in my sleep." In the back of his head, he realized dismally that this was more than likely true. Suddenly, from the other side of the still dispersing gas cloud, a bolo came flying towards him. He easily dodged, only to realize a moment later it was a decoy.

A second bolo flew towards him, hitting him in the chest. It wrapped tightly around him, the weighted ends hitting him in the chest, pinning his arms to his sides. The sudden weight shift caught him off balance, driving him towards the edge of the roof. His foot suddenly met mid-air, and before he could react, he fell off the side of the building.

Batman, seeing what had happened, ran towards Wolverine. As he reached the edge, he was slightly surprised to find that the man had disappeared.

- - - -

Warlock and Psylocke were facing off against a man with a ring that created solid, green energy.

"We're not here to fight you," Warlock said, holding his sword defensively. Beside him, Psylocke was in much the same position, battle-ready, and relaxed.

The current Green Lantern, John Stewart, arched an eyebrow. "You have an interesting way of not wanting to fight." A beam of green energy emerged from his ring, taking the shape of a giant hand. It wrapped itself around the two mutants, holding them tightly, but not so tight they couldn't breathe.

"Let us go," Psylocke stated, cool anger in her voice.

"You really think it'll be that easy," the Lantern asked.

"Actually … yeah," Warlock replied. His sword flashed in the sunlight as in arced upward, easily cutting through the giant fingers of the energy hand. The couple fell to the ground, easily regaining their feet. "See," Warlock said, smiling facetiously, "this could've been done the easy way." He and Psylocke started moving around the other hero, swords at the ready. "But, you've gone and made our days – we haven't had a good fight in longer than we care to think."

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint," Green Lantern replied. Another hand appeared out of his ring, aiming for Psylocke's sword. It wrapped around the blade, and tried to wrench it out of her hands. But, the moment he tried, a backlash of energy surged up the connection, striking his forearm. The green energy hand disappeared suddenly, as the green-and-black clad hero held his injured arm.

"Now, that was a bad idea, luv," Psylocke explained. "Our swords can only be handled by us, or by those we wish to handle them." In response, GL fired off a series of blasts from his ring, aiming at their swords, hoping to blast them out of their hands.

"Ooh," Warlock said facetiously, "we can do that too!" But, before he was able to say anything else, a telepathic message rocked through his mind.

_Warlock, Psylocke, we need some help_, Cyclops' message said. While receiving the message, both Warlock and Psylocke were hit with the green blasts, sending them crashing against the brick wall behind them.

- - - -

Cyclops and Bishop were fighting against Captain Atom. The nuclear-empowered man was currently handling the two X-Men with ease. Cyclops fired an optic blast, aiming for the Captain's shoulders. Instead, the other hero easily dodged the blast, throwing a burst of energy at the X-Man.

Cyclops threw himself to the ground, as the energy struck the spot where he'd just been. While Captain Atom was distracted, Bishop fired a burst of energy, hitting the Captain in chest. The blast barely phased the man, who looked back at the time-tossed X-Man with a smirk. Energy began to coalesce around his fist, preparing to fire.

But, in the moment it took him to call forth the energy, a silver streak flew out of the sky, aiming towards the Captain. Flying in at top speed, the woman known as Hardcase drew back her fist, and punched Captain Atom, her momentum adding to her great strength. The blow caught him in the side of his face, sending him tumbling end over end at an odd angle. He landed on the pavement, creating a furrow as his shoulder cut through the street.

"You should really think about how you threaten _mi amor_," she said, as she landed. The boosters on her back shut down, and receded into her back. "Now, you have to deal with me too, _cabrón_."

"And who might you be," he asked as he stood.

"Hardcase," she replied. Her voice carried all the amusement that her helmet, and mask hid. Doubled-edged blades unsheathed themselves from her forearm housing, gleaming dreadfully in the sunlight.

Captain Atom fired a blast of energy at her, aiming for her chest. She easily dodged, a stream of electricity erupting from the tips of her blades, aimed directly at him. The electricity caught him full in the chest, but seemed to do little to him. "Energy doesn't seem to do too much to him," she stated, as the electricity stopped.

"So we've found," Cyclops replied tersely.

"Nothing like a good old-fashioned fist fight," Hardcase said, the delight unmistakable in her voice. The blades retracted as she stepped quickly towards Captain Atom. She increased her strength as she did so, her head's-up-display showing her strength meter growing. Her punch landed square in his jaw, throwing him backwards into the air. He landed on his back, creating an imprint in the pavement.

He sat up almost immediately, and fired a burst of yellow energy, hitting Hardcase in the chest. Her armored body was knocked backward, her back sliding along the street, sparks igniting as the metal grated over the cement. She got up almost as fast as Captain Atom, the nanite-powered computer that was her armor automatically checking for damage, finding none.

It was then that Cyclops contacted Warlock, asking for help. _We need some help_, the X-Man told them.

_Just a moment_, Warlock replied. He came back a moment later. _I just spoke with Rogue; when she absorbed the big blueberry, she got a number of his memories. She also got some info on these guys._ He paused for a moment; Cyclops had the distinct feeling the other man was getting the specific information about each of these other heroes. _When I tell you,_ Warlock continued, _I want you to fight the girl that Lobo and Shift are fighting; don't hold back. When I do that, I'm going to have Iceman come in and take your place. Bishop? Hardcase?_

_Yeah_, they answered almost simultaneously, the telepathic connection quickly becoming a party line.

_In a moment, I'm gonna have a few of you switch places. I want you two to stay where you are. Iceman?_ The connection got larger as the other X-Man joined in the conversation. _When I tell you, I want you to take Cyclops' place when I tell you. Lobo, Shift, I want you two to take Iceman's place when I tell you._ The powerful leader got affirmatives all around.

_NOW!_

- - - -

The moment Warlock told them to change it up, Lobo and Shift took Iceman's place next to Jubilee and Cable. They were currently fighting the tall, beautiful woman with the dark hair; Wonder Woman.

As the couple arrived, the dark-haired warrior broke out of a cocoon made of solid ice. The two easily dodged large chunks of ice as they flew all over the place, landing on the ground as semi-solid slush. Her blue eyes blazed with anger, melting droplets sparkling in her hair. She reached for the golden lasso on her hip, and threw it at Jubilee.

"C'mon," she said, dodging the rope, "I'm sure you can do better than that." She fired a paf of energy at the other woman, only for Wonder Woman to easily block the blast with one of the silver bracelets she wore. The older woman moved towards the outgoing young woman, only to have a solid, invisible wall stop her cold in her tracks.

"Who are you," Diana, Wonder Woman, asked, looking towards the man creating the TK wall.

"Cable," the massive man answered brusquely. With but a thought, he threw her backwards, her body skidding across the pavement as she landed. As she stood, an undeniable look of anger flashed through her eyes, not accustomed to being man-handled. The dark-haired woman floated several feet above the ground, as a small smirk crossed her face. In an instant, she flew straight up, her body becoming a blur at her incredible velocity.

"Y'know, somethin' tells me that's not a good thing," Jubilee opined, looking upwards. Beside her, Cable glanced towards her stoically, choosing not to make a comment.

The large man began looking around, opening up his telepathy, trying to figure out where Wonder Woman had gone. He could feel the thoughts of everyone around him, moving to their own rhythms, almost as if the thoughts themselves were alive. But, he wasn't quite sure where she had gone. A moment later, he heard Shift call, "There!" He drew his attention towards the malleable woman's voice, seeing her point down the street.

There, barreling towards them at speeds almost beyond imagination, Wonder Woman was flying towards them. When he saw her, she was nothing more than a speck, but her speed was so great, that as he tried to put up a TK shield, she was almost upon him. Despite moving at the speed of thought, he wasn't able to get it up in time.

Diana plowed into the time-tossed hero, her fist hitting his bionic shoulder. Cable flew backwards from the powerful blow, landing on the ground with a thud, and sliding along the pavement. Diana landed next to him, brining up her fist to knock him out. In the moment that she drew her fist back, a strand of a brown, clay-like substance wrapped around her wrist, holding her arm back.

The brightly adorned woman turned around quickly to see who, or what was holding her. She was surprised to see an amorphous blob with a single tentacle-like appendage clinging to her. As the Amazonian champion watched, the blob morphed into a woman, one of her arms distended into the very same tentacle holding her. "That's not a good idea," Shift explained, as the tentacle became thicker.

The Australian mutant suddenly expanded, almost exploded, into dozens of tendrils all attached at a central point. The force of the growth caused her body to move forward, colliding with Wonder Woman. Before the powerful heroine could react, Shift's tendrils had pulled together behind her back, the Australian mutant's body encasing the other woman.

"Let me go," Diana cried, struggling against the other woman. She gathered her strength, and in a Herculean movement, broke out of the confinement. Shift's tubular body ripped in two, twin ragged slits on either side. The side covering Wonder Woman melded with the bottom side, sliding along the pavement towards the other X-Men.

But, in the moment that Shift retreated, Lobo jumped on the brightly colored woman. His massive paw struck Diana in the face, the sudden appearance of his lycanthropic face momentarily dazing her. The strike on her face startled her into action, a powerful fist striking the mutant in the chin. He stumbled from the strength of the blow, his lower jaw hanging at an odd angle.

The massive mutant turned towards her, his yellow irises burning with anger. A growl emanated from the depths of his chest, as a powerful hand gripped his dislocated jawbone. The growl ratcheted up to a feral roar of anger and pain as he popped his jaw back in place, the bone making an audible pop. Diana watched in muted awe as the muscles beneath his skin seemed to move of their own accord, almost like an army of ants. As the healing finished, he opened his massive maw, his robust teeth gleaming malevolently in the sun.

Diana stood just as Lobo came forward again, stalking her on all fours. On her other side, she saw the other three had regrouped, ready for battle. "We don't want to hurt you," Jubilee stated, energy coalescing around her hands. Ever the warrior, Diana said nothing, settling into a battle stance.

As she expected, the attack came from her left first, the lycanthropic Lobo obeying his instincts. With a single movement, she caught him by his throat as he leapt for her, and threw him overhead. His descent scattered the others, the slim Jubilee diving for the street just in time. Shift wasn't as lucky, though.

Her boyfriend landed directly on top of her, his arm at a distinctly odd angle beneath him. She knew without a doubt he'd broken it. Anger flooding her judgment, she leapt for the other woman, her body expanding violently as she did so. But, Diana was ready; she grabbed Shift's colloidal form in mid-air, easily avoiding the rest of the mutant's body. The Amazon, using strength and speed that belied her physical appearance, spun, and with a singular movement, threw the malleable woman.

Shift changed her shape in mid-air, becoming a parachute. But, nonetheless, she flew for over a block and a half.

As the other woman flew overhead, Diana turned around, facing Cable, unhooking her lasso as she did so. "You're the only one left," she said, looking for any sign he would back down.

"And I'm not going to go easy on you, this time," he replied. At almost exactly the same time, they both attacked. Cable pushed her back telekinetically, as she threw her lasso. Despite being thrown with such strength, the Amazonian warrior still gripped her magical rope as she flew backwards. The loop slipped over the X-Man just as the rope pulled taught, the movement catching his eyes just a moment too late.

He was pulled along with Wonder Woman, moving at breakneck speeds. He crashed into the ground almost a hundred feet down the street, luckily landing on his cybernetic shoulder. He stood up slowly, a wave of nausea coming briefly over him. He stumbled for a moment, as his head and stomach settled. It was only then that he noticed the golden lasso was still wrapped around his midsection.

"Now," Diana began, floating above the X-Man's head, "tell me who you are, and what you're doing here." She pulled the rope taught, lifting the powerful mutant above the ground.

Compelled to speak the truth by the magical lasso, Cable answered, "Nathan Christopher Dayspring Summers." He tried his best to shut his mouth, but he could not. "Cable," he continued. "Askani'son. _Caríl Talúk_."

Diana, however, was looking at him oddly, her brow drawn together in confusion. The large man that she was holding had just answered in a language she'd never heard. If she didn't know that anyone in the confines of her lasso had to tell the truth, she would think that he'd been speaking gibberish. But, yet, the last two words he'd spoken seemed familiar, somehow. But, for the life of her, she could not think of how they were familiar.

It was then that she heard the primal scream, drawing everyone's attention, both League and X-Men alike.

- - - -

When they were told to change up, Cyclops quickly moved to where Shift and Lobo had been fighting a girl. And when he said a girl, he meant a girl.

She had long, blonde hair, and was dressed in a blue uniform. Her boots were solid red, her blue skirt coming down to mid-thigh, showing off a great deal of leg. Her blouse, like her skirt, was blue. But, what caught his attention was the insignia on her chest. It was a shield with a familiar "S" symbol. He cursed silently.

"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way," Cyclops said, facing the young woman.

"I prefer the hard way," Supergirl answered. She cocked her fist, moving towards the X-Man. Before she got too close, he fired a burst of energy, hitting her square in the chest. She flew backwards from the blast, landing unceremoniously on her back, creating a furrow in the pavement as she slid across it. She stood up immediately, floating in the air.

Without a word, she flew towards Cyclops, as he tried to clip her with short bursts. But, she expertly dodged them, the crimson beams of energy moving slow compared to what she could do. She accelerated, becoming little more than a blast of wind.

Losing her in his sight, Cyclops furrowed his brow, wondering where she'd gone. A moment later, he felt a finger tap on his shoulder. He turned quickly, only to see the young woman behind him. "I'll take this," she said, reaching for his visor.

"NO, DON'T," the X-Man yelled. But, it was too late. Supergirl crushed the visor while it was still on his face, the pieces falling apart in her hands. The devastating full strength of his optic blast erupted from his eyes, hitting the young heroine at point blank range. The crimson energy washed over her like a tidal wave, her body thrown backwards from the force. Pavement and the walls of the buildings on either side of them immediately vaporized, unable to withstand the awesome power.

Cyclops clamped his eyes shut, instinctively turning his head as he did so. But, the damage had already been done.

Supergirl had been thrown almost fifty feet down the street, not expecting the awesome power beneath Cyclops' eyes. Around her, as she stood, she saw what could have been a war zone. Buildings on either side of her had been reduced to almost nothing more than piles of bricks. The pavement in front of her looked as if something massive had impacted in the middle of the street, vapors rising from the wreckage. She looked at the man before her with sudden realization.

The power had not come from the visor, but from his eyes.

At the same moment, though, Cyclops was speaking into his radio, "I'm in trouble here," he said quietly.

"Don't worry, sugah," Rogue's voice replied. "We'll be right there." She paused. "Just don't move."

Supergirl began walking towards Cyclops, careful not to make too much noise, less he open his eyes. It was hard going, though, because the pavement hadn't been destroyed evenly – there were loose bits of cement all over the place. She accidentally kicked a softball-sized piece of pavement, gaining the X-Man's attention. Immediately, his head turned toward her position, his eyes still closed. But, it was then that the powerful heroine saw a silver blur rushing towards her from mid-air.

- - - -

While Cyclops had been fighting Supergirl, Rogue was returning from fetching Colossus. Superman had kicked the Russian just beyond the city limits, and he had been slightly out of it when she found him. As she started carrying him back (it had occurred to her it would be amusing to see the look of a bystander seeing her carrying someone so much larger than her), Warlock had sent them his message. Psylocke, at the same time, was able to bring Colossus around.

As they neared the major area of fighting, they both saw the blonde woman with the same insignia on her chest as Superman. "Ready," she asked Colossus, just after speaking with Cyclops.

"_Da_," he replied, armoring up. He slammed one massive fist into an open palm, a smile appearing on his metallic features.

Without saying a word, Rogue let him go, launching him towards the blonde. He put his arms at his side, picking up speed as he descended. As he was about to hit her, the young woman looked up, and happened to notice him. But, it was already too late for her to move, despite her incredible speed.

Colossus slammed into Supergirl, his shoulder driving into her mid-section, driving into the ground. As he recovered form his fall, he landed a powerful blow on her cheek with his full strength. Her face turned with the punch, her head making a further indentation in the pavement. He brought his other fist down, and landed another, and continued with a hail of punches. With each blow, her head made a deeper hole in the cement.

Suddenly, in the middle of another punch, one of her smaller hands stopped his massive fist cold. The strength behind his blow rocked her smaller body, driving her shoulder down. But, her grip was incredibly strong, much more powerful than even his. He tried to withdraw his arm, but her hold was immovable. He tried to bend her fingers back, hoping to be able to get out of her hold. But, as he did so, she grasped his wrist in her other hand, and pulled his arms wide apart.

Colossus tried to knee her in the side, but she was expecting it. She was able to bring her own leg up in time to block the blow. With the same leg, she pushed him aside, forcing him to s half-stand. As his weight was shifted, Supergirl let go of his hands, and kicked at his exposed mid-section.

But, the X-Man was expecting it. As she kicked out at him, he shifted his body, her right foot just barely connecting with his side. But, it was like being kicked by the Hulk. He flew back, falling end-over-end, and crashed into what was left of the building on his left. As he landed, the part of the wall that had survived Cyclops' blast fell on top of him, dust flying as the bricks fell on top of him. Almost as an afterthought, the rest of the building began to fail. The rest of the building fell on top of him, just as he was recovering from being thrown through the wall.

Supergirl was about to take off to another part of the fight, when a voice called to her from behind. "Hey, sugah," a southern voice called.

The young heroine turned, only to be hailed by a barrage of punches. Rogue hit the girl with a right hook followed by a left. As the girl came forward, hit her with an uppercut to the jaw. Bare knuckles hit exposed chin, knocking the girl back into the wall. She shook her head, trying to clear it, having felt an odd leaching feeling overcome her. She looked up, expecting the other woman to be coming at her with fists raised. Instead, she was surprised by her closeness.

Rogue placed her bare hands on Supergirl's cheeks, holding on with all her strength. As she did so, she could feel power inundating her. She felt a similar feeling to that when she was absorbing Superman, but only now, the feeling was purer. She felt as if she were absorbing the sun, energy flooding through her system. Absolute bliss overcame her being as she kept her contact with the girl, the sheer power sending chills of pleasure up and down her spine.

She suddenly realized the thoughts going through her mind, and let go of the girl's face, looking at her hands guiltily. Supergirl took the opening, and pushed Rogue through what was left of the other building's wall. As the X-Woman fell, her reverie broke, her mind coming back to the present. The girl was in the middle of the street, when the X-Woman noticed Cyclops still near. "Cyclops," she spoke into her radio, "turn to your left." She paused, making sure the girl hadn't heard her. She hadn't; she was trying to get over the drainage. "When I tell you, open your eyes."

Cyclops nodded to Rogue, and began turning slowly in place. "NOW", Rogue's voice yelled. He opened his eyes, crimson energy erupting forth. The optic blast caught the girl as she was crossing the street, sending her flying. What remained of the walls disintegrated under the intensity of his gaze. After a moment, he clamped his eyes shut again, once again turning his head instinctively.

And, it was then that they heard the primeval scream echo through the street, capturing their attention immediately.

- - - -

When Warlock had ordered them to change up, Iceman had moved towards Bishop and Hardcase, who were still fighting Captain Atom.

As he approached, though, the nuclear powered hero fired a blast of energy at the heat-challenged mutant. He was just barely able to dodge it, the heated blast coming within a few inches of his arm. "Hey, cut the new guy a break," he decried, a blast of ice erupting from his hands. The ice covered the other man's hands immediately, binding them together. "Hey, that wasn't all that hard."

A moment later, the Captain easily broke apart the ice holding his hands together, small chunks flying everywhere. Bishop cast a meaningful glare towards the younger X-Man, who just shrugged as if to say 'how was I to know'. The short moment was broken as Captain Atom fired some red-sun energy at them. Iceman dove to the side, even as the time-tossed Bishop acted like a sort of lightning rod.

A moment later, the large man fired the same energy back at the Captain, hitting him in the chest. He, again, was entirely unaffected. At the same moment, though, Hardcase came flying in behind, plowing into the powerful hero. Her momentum brought them both falling to the ground, creating a furrow as they slid. She stood up first, her forearm around his neck.

"Now," she said, her armor increasing her strength, "you're my bitch." With her other arm, she began punching him in the side, hoping to find a weak spot in his crystalline body.

"Let me go," Captain Atom demanded, hitting her with his elbow. He repeated again, and again, but to no avail. Finally, her placed both hands on the forearm holding her, and released energy through his hands. Almost immediately, her forearm began to heat up, the metal beginning to glow as it became hotter.

"Hey, what do you think you're doing," Hardcase demanded. On her HUD, she could see the suit reporting that the stress of the rapid heating was too much for the nanites. Suddenly, a flood of sensation flashed though her nerves as the nanites forced her to feel the heat the Captain was creating. Immediately, she withdrew her forearm, crying in pain. "_HIJO DE LA CHINGADA!_"

As she withdrew her arm, Captain Atom grabbed it, and threw her over his head. While in mid-air, he fired a short surge of energy, sending her flipping head over heels. It was at that moment, the hero heard a loud noise behind him, and without even thinking about it, he turned, and fired a concentrated discharge of yellow sun energy. It was only after he did it that he saw who he fired it at.

The heated burst of energy hit Iceman directly in the chest, affecting him almost immediately. The heated energy evaporated him almost instantaneously. His arms and head fell as his torso began water vapor, even as they disappeared into nothingness.

"Oh no," Captain Atom whispered, his voice full of dread. "What have I done?" He didn't seem to feel the cloud of intensely cold air wash over both him and Bishop, causing their breath to come out in almost solid clouds. The large X-Man recoiled from the numbing cold, its intensity making him shiver almost immediately.

As the cold water vapor began condensing into Iceman, the other X-Man had to take several steps back. Almost ten feet away from the spot where the other X-Man was reforming, he could just barely stand the intense, bone-chilling cold. As Iceman finished reforming, he looked at Captain Atom in annoyance, the other hero still not having noticed. "Do you have any idea," Iceman said, breathlessly, "how hard it is to do that?"

Captain Atom turned his head almost immediately. If his body was that of a regular human he would have torn a muscle. He looked at the mutant, his eyes full of confusion.

And, it was then, that they heard the scream. They cringed from primeval sound, even as it echoed past them.

- - - -

Batman looked down to the ground, surprised to not see the man he'd been fighting. Behind his mask, his calculating mind tired to determine the most likely scenario as to where he'd disappeared to. But, even as he did so, a man with red hair and a long trench coat came running towards him. With a movement that was almost a blur, the red-haired man reached into his coat, and threw a glowing … card.

If he'd had the time, Batman would've grimaced at the irony of the use of playing cards.

Reacting instantly, Batman jumped off the side of the building, firing a grapple to the building next to him. As he swung, a small explosion destroyed the corner of the building he'd been standing on, bricks falling haphazardly to the ground. He landed, rolling to lessen the jolt. As he regained his feet, he turned, seeing the other man almost on his heels. The Dark Knight reached into his belt, and threw two of his own batarangs.

Gambit easily dodged the two projectiles, flipping over the bat-shaped boomerangs. As he landed, he reached for several cards again, charging them up. "T'ing is, _mon ami_," the Cajun mutant began, "I don' wanna be you when Wolverine gets outta dat." He smiled devilishly, his eyes flashing mischievously, as he threw the cards.

Batman dodged the cards with as much ease as the other man, once again throwing a batarang at Gambit. But, instead of dodging it as he did before, the Cajun caught the weapon.

"Now," he said, charm oozing out of every pore, "dat ain't nice." He charged the batarang up, the black metal glowing with the energy he was channeling. Gambit was hoping for a reaction from the other man, but what was visible of his face remained as stoic as ever. Annoyed at the prospect of having not being able to surprise the other man, he threw the oddly shaped boomerang, aiming it at the other man's feet.

The pavement at Batman's feet suddenly exploded in a cloud of dust and chunks of concrete. Gambit looked at the cloud suspiciously; he hadn't put enough charge into the boomerang for that kind of explosion. He carefully stepped forward, remaining wary as he did so. He was only too aware that the cloud of smoke could have been a trap. But, as he stepped closer, the cloud of smoke clearing … he saw that there was nothing there.

"Where did he go," he asked in French, his eyebrows drawn together in consternation.

"Here," came the answer, again in French.

Gambit turned quickly at the sound, but not quite fast enough. Before he could react any further, his legs were swiped from underneath him, his head hitting the pavement … hard. He closed his eyes, his world suddenly swimming. He tried to sit up, but he collapsed back to the ground, blackness creeping into his vision.

"Why don't ya try that on me, bub," a gruff voice said behind Batman.

The stoic hero turned, unused to anyone being able to sneak up on him. Wolverine stood, his arms wide, his claws unsheathed, ready for a fight. In response, Batman reached into his utility belt, pulling out twin bat-shaped blades. He made an almost imperceptible movement, the blades telescoping, making two weapons, each with two blades.

Wolverine charged, his claws slicing through the air, the bright sun gleaming off of them. Batman blocked the other man's blades with his own, only to find, a moment later, it did little good. Wolverine's claws cut through the black metal blades as if nothing more than butter. Shards of the bat-shaped blades struck against the pavement, making almost musical sounds as they did so.

Batman backed away from the other man as the shards fell, realizing belatedly that those claws were extremely sharp. He felt a slight pain in his chest, and looking down, saw shallow cuts in his suit. A small amount of blood was oozing ever so slowly out of the slashes, marking where the feral mutant had tagged him. He backpedaled a little more, putting a little more distance between him and the other man. He realized that hand-to-hand combat with this man was perhaps not the best of ideas. Instead he reached ever so subtly into his belt.

As Wolverine stepped closer, Batman quickly threw something at him. The X-Man watched the object for a moment, until he realized what it was. The feral mutant was able to jump aside just as the flash-bang grenade went off. But, he was still too close.

His eyes were suddenly blinded, even as he almost simultaneously lost his hearing. He rubbed at his eyes, hoping he could get rid of the afterimages faster. He shook his head, trying to get his hearing back. But, even as he tried to do so, his sense of smell seemed to go into overdrive. He could smell the other man as he approached, even as his vision seemed to be getting better. He slashed out blindly, hoping to get the other man.

But, all he felt was air, as Batman quickly eluded the extremely sharp claws. But, it was the extra time he needed. His vision returned just enough for him to see the other man. But, in that moment, Batman threw several, small balls at him. Wolverine immediately realized what they were – compressed, weaponized gas. The balls exploded the moment they hit the ground, too fast for him to react.

A cloud of brightly colored gas reached his face, tickling his nose as he breathed it in. He threw his head back, as a violent sneeze assaulted him. And then, suddenly, he started laughing. His laughing became a sudden fit of hysteria, as he continued to laugh even harder, his stomach clenching as he did so. "What the – hahahahaha – flamin' hell did ya – hahahahahahaha – do to me," he asked between fits of laughter, his throat muscles growing sore.

Batman didn't answer, as Wolverine collapsed to the ground in a heap. The dark-clad hero approached the other man, unsure if his non-lethal variation of the Joker's laughing gas would affect the other man. But, apparently it did. His reverie was interrupted, as he heard Gambit stand.

Batman turned, only to see that the Cajun now had a metal bo staff in his hands, expertly twirling it. The dark clad hero scowled, watching the other man. In an almost blindingly fast move, he reached back into his belt, and palmed another one of the pressurized gas balls. The red eyed mutant attacked suddenly, his staff arcing down to hit Batman in the shoulder.

The caped man was much too fast, though. The staff hit nothing but air, as Batman rolled behind the other man. As he did so, he threw the laughing gas at Gambit's feet, the gas cloud immediately rushing up to meet his face. But, even as the gas cloud expanded, the Dark Knight was already beyond the affected area of the gas. He watched quietly, stoically as Gambit laughed himself hysterically into unconsciousness.

As the red-eyed man fell, Batman heard a sudden, primal scream rise up from behind him, catching his attention. He missed the sound of metal hitting asphalt as Wolverine's arm spasmed, his claws clanging against the pavement.

- - - -

Lying on the ground, Storm screamed loudly, shrilly, the sound making those near her back away. Those closest could hear the anger and fear, as the scream fell off, her body convulsing on the ground.

Several moments later, Vixen, the woman that had been holding Storm, took a step forward. But, as she did so, a massive blue blur leapt in front of her, the size of the figure momentarily disorienting her. She took an involuntary half-step backwards as she took in the … man … before her. Blue fur covered his entire body, which was incredibly heavily muscled.

But, what had caused her to step backward was the same thing that had caused countless others to do so. He looked like a giant, blue were-cat.

"What did you do to her," Beast asked accusatorily, fixing Vixen with a hard glare. His tone belied his usual genial nature; the question had come out more than a growl than actual language.

"I didn't do anything," she answered, unsure of what exactly to do. "She started to convulse, and then she collapsed. I don't know what happened."

Beast held his lover carefully in his arms, in stark contrast to his appearance. Stroking her face lovingly, he asked, "Ororo? Can you hear me?" Her eyes still glowed blankly in response, something preventing her from answering him. He looked around, and spotting the nearest telepath, motioned her over. "I need to know if you are able to reach her," he said, his normal even voice filled with emotion.

"I'll do my best," Emma answered, keeping in mind that Storm was not especially … fond of her. She concentrated, trying to reach the other woman. Several moments later, she looked up at the large X-Man. "Something's blocking me," she explained. "I think something or someone is in her mind with her."

Hank looked down to the Ororo, his eyes saying it all. "Ororo, hear me," he whispered, "I love you."

- - - -

In her mind's eye, Storm backed away from the worm creature in front of her. Waves of fear and panic were trying to overcome her, trying to make her break down.

Whatever it was, this Utzarákh seemed to be the worm's master. The creature seemed to use fear as a way to paralyze its victims. And, at the moment, she was fighting with every fiber of her being. A fear she hadn't known since … since being trapped with her parents was trying to wash over her. But, she was holding herself together … for now.

"Give up, Windrider," the misshapen being told her, gloating in her pain.

But, that was when it happened.

She suddenly heard Henry's voice drifting across the wind. "Ororo, hear me … I love you," his voice said. A wave of power came over her then, exploding in her very being, ecstasy flooding her senses almost as if a spiritual orgasm. As the wave of ecstasy-laden power left her, she could feel the plight of Nature around her. She realized that her powers had come back to her.

Her gaze fell on the worm-thing, her eyes glowing with power. Above her, dark clouds began to accumulate, thunder resounding throughout the dead earth. Lightning began illuminating the night sky, the very air filling with the anger and wrath of Mother Nature herself at having been defiled so. A deafening crack of thunder accompanied a flurry of lightning bolts. Each bolt struck the creature, its body burning with the heat of the electricity.

Meanwhile, though Storm was unaware, behind her the dead earth had seemingly revived itself. As she stepped closer to the worm-thing, grass and flowers seemed to sprout out of nowhere where her feet had just been. Behind her, the grass and flowers had grown into a full grown tropical rain forest, the inherent power within threatening the beings she was facing as much as she.

- - - -

"That is so not good," Jubilee noted, looking up at the sky. Storm's scream had stopped the fighting, its ferocity beckoning them towards her. Now, above them, black storm clouds were brewing, thunder and lighting filling the summer sky.

"Whatever she's going through in her mind," Hank stated, "she projecting what she's doing on the real world." Suddenly, as if to cement that, lighting rained down on them, several of the gathered heroes diving for cover. He only hoped she didn't attack whatever she was facing with anything of more severity.

- - - -

Looking at the smoking remains of the worm-thing, she turned her attention to the misbegotten monstrosity before her.

"You will release me from this place," Storm demanded, noting that the other three beings had disappeared.

"I'm afraid not, my dear," the creature replied smarmily.

And, it was then, only then, that something occurred to Storm. She didn't know how she knew what she now knew, but she did. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wondered if there was someone (something?) looking out for her. But, at the moment it didn't matter. She looked at the creature triumphantly. "You cannot stand the cold," she stated evenly.

The creature's gloating face faltered momentarily. But, it was enough for the X-Woman to know that she had him pegged. She concentrated on the storm front she'd created, and with but a thought, lowered the temperature. "Have you ever been to the Antarctic," she asked icily. Her breath came out in white vapor clouds, staying in the air for an absurd amount of time. Above her, the clouds, still dark, let loose with a titanic amount of snow, becoming a whiteout in seconds. She concentrated on the winds, creating a deathly wind chill, all directed at the creature.

- - - -

"We have to stop her." It was Shayera that said this.

The weather that Storm was creating in her mindscape was also being created in the real world.

"We can't do anything about it," Warlock replied. "We can't reach her mind, and there really isn't anything we can do to get her to wake up."

Next to the white-haired woman, Beast was still kneeling, speaking softly in her ear. He hadn't moved, even when the snow started falling on them, the winds moving in white tornadic clouds.

"And we can't just let her keep this up; people will die," the winged woman responded. At that moment, a particularly powerful gust of wind swept past her, almost throwing her off her feet. "That's it," she decried, her mace sizzling with energy.

Beast immediately stood up, using all of his impressive bulk to block her path, his lips pulled back. "You must get past me first," he stated simply. And something bad could have happened at that moment, had what happened next not happened.

Storm woke up suddenly, sitting ramrod straight, startling those next to her, once again. In an instant, the blue-furred doctor was at her side, holding her hand. "Ororo," he said simply, getting her attention. "We need you to clear the weather, my dear."

She looked up to the sky, seeing the steel-grey clouds that she'd created in her mindscape. Her eyes clouded over immediately, the clouds dissipating, and the temperature shooting upwards almost unnaturally. "Was … anyone hurt," she asked hesitantly, as she was helped unsteadily to her feet.

"No," he answered reassuringly, seeing the worry on her face. But, in that moment, another scream of pain bellowed out, this time from a man's voice. And Beast knew it well. "Charles?"

The gathered group turned almost as one, only to see Charles Xavier clasping his hands to his temples. "I couldn't stop him long enough," he managed, in painful agony. A moment later, he slumped in his chair, entirely unconscious. The blue-furred mutant was about to go to the other man's side, when the ground beneath them began to rumble.

They had all but forgotten about the colossal fight occurring beneath them.

The pavement suddenly cracked open, a massive bulge appearing almost in the exact middle of an intersection. The rumbling stopped for a moment, but it was only the silence before the storm. A shining blue comet suddenly burst out of the bulge, flying entirely straight up. The figure, going too fast to determine who, didn't move forward or backward, only straight up.

And that was when Jean realized who had just been punched through the street, and into the atmosphere. "Cain," she whispered.

Beside her, Psylocke looked at the other woman questioningly. "Can you slow him as he comes back down?"

"I'll try," Phoenix replied. But, even as she did so, out of the hole now in the street Superman floated.

As he landed, Diana approached him, explaining, "The battle is over."

Superman turned towards her, a lascivious look in his eyes, as he looked her up and down. "I can see what these humans see in you," he said simply. And with that, he backhanded her into a bank on the other side of the street. She landed on a vault door, collapsing the thick steel in on itself, the alarms blaring inside.

As Superman's attention came back to the group, Batman reached into his belt pulling out a glowing piece of Kryptonite. "He's possessed," the Dark Knight proclaimed loudly, easily surmising the cause of the other man's erratic behavior.

"Do you really believe that will stop me," the possessed Superman asked, his body suddenly glowing in red energy.

"No," said a new voice from behind him. "But this might." A burst of energy collided with Superman, turning him around, and making him fall to his knees.

As he did so, he revealed the speaker. An athletic woman stood, expertly holding a large, silver gun in her hands. She stared at the Kryptonian appraisingly, ready to fire again, if necessary.

And, it was Storm that first recognized her. "Tessa?"

Hearing the recognition in the voice, Sage turned to face the other woman. "Hello, Storm," she said simply. But, Superman had heard the recognition as well, and taking the opportunity, lifted into the sky at breakneck speed.

A moment later, a violet blur dove straight into the building behind Sage, bricks and debris heading straight for her. "No," Storm cried, as the building began collapsing on the other woman. But, at just he last moment, a small man, with glasses and a thick beard ran out of an alley. He pushed Sage out of the way, the structure falling on him instead.

Beast and Storm hurriedly rushed towards Sage, who was now witting on the ground.

But, it was Psylocke who thought she recognized the man. "Is that who I thought it was?"

"It smelled like him," Phoenix answered, anxiety creeping into her voice.

"Damn," Warlock said, having noticed the same thing his lover had. "We need to evacuate … now," he said, turning towards Shayera and Green Lantern.

"Why," they asked. "And shouldn't we be trying to dig him out," Shayera asked.

Psylocke answered both questions. "We just found someone who can go toe-to-toe with your mate. And he'll dig himself out." And, even as she said that, the pile of debris was already starting to move.

For what happened to Tessa, and precisely why Storm's so surprised, check out TPS II.


	6. When Titans Clash

Chapter 6: When Titans Clash

"Cain," Jean asked, "are you okay?" She had barely been able to slow him down, pushing him away from the hole as she did.

"I'm fine," he answered gruffly, sitting up. Despite her having slowed him down, his impact had caused yet another crater in the pavement. Standing, he rolled his shoulders, and pounded one massive fist into an equally massive palm. "I'm gonna rip 'im ta pieces," he said darkly, already moving forward.

"We've got a bigger problem," she replied, moving in the same direction. She paused momentarily, a question forming in her mind. "How was he able to hit you so far?"

He looked back at her, and asked, "Ya don't remember?"

"What?"

"Ya once did it ta me – long time ago. Lifted me straight up off the ground." He continued forward. "But, I dunno how he knew what ta do."

"Did he say anything," Jean asked.

He paused, seemingly deciding whether he should share or not. "He said 'So that's what happened to Cytorrak's avatar'." He looked back at her, questioningly. "What were ya gonna say 'bout a bigger problem?"

- - - -

"We're going to need to evacuate all of the people around here," Warlock restated. Even as he spoke, the rubble moved, shifting as the being below grew in size. "BACK UP," he yelled, moving slowly backwards.

"What is it," Supergirl asked beside him.

The pile of rubble suddenly exploded, a massive creature stepping out, his face an angry snarl. "The Hulk," he replied simply.

The creature known simply as the Hulk turned, looking in the opposite direction of the gathered heroes. Superman had been hovering down the street, watching everything in curiosity. On seeing the other man, the Hulk said simply, "Blue Man try hurt Tessa. Hulk SMASH Blue Man!!!" He cocked his powerful legs, and easily leaped into the air towards Superman. But, even as he did so, Superman rushed forward, his shoulder plowing into the Hulk's mid-section.

The two veritable titans flew overhead, as the Hulk's gigantic fists pounded into Superman's back. The force of the blows sent then careening towards the ground, the pavement splintering beneath them as they landed.

"Shit," Warlock cursed, dry-washing his face. "This is going to be bad."

"What are you so worried about," the young woman next to him asked.

"Collateral damage," Batman answered stoically. He turned towards the X-Men, "What are we dealing with?"

"Imagine a being with potentially limitless strength, a temper, and the mind of a child," Emma answered coolly. "And further imagine that anything that does harm to him doesn't for long."

Batman looked at her in askance, "Any weaknesses?" Even as he asked, Superman punched the Hulk in the chest, sending the gamma-empowered being backwards. He landed several more blows, sending the behemoth backwards into a wall. As the Kryptonian lashed out again, the Hulk caught his arm. Grabbing one of the other man's legs, the Hulk swung Superman in a circle, picking up momentum. He let go of the brightly-clad alien, sending him tumbling through the air, his body clipping the top of a six-story building. As the Kryptonian's body fell out of view, the Hulk leapt into the air, going after his new opponent.

- - - -

**Unknown Location**

Amanda Waller sat at her desk, going over the latest progress reports.

For the last few months, she had been working as head of this laboratory. But, despite having been giving a position of power, she knew beyond a doubt this was a demotion. If she wanted proof, she only had to look at the work she was overseeing.

Previously, she had been head of a research facility that was on the cutting edge of technology. As head of Cadmus, she'd been working on ways to give the American government a fighting chance in case the Justice League ever went rogue. But, everything fell apart when Lex Luthor betrayed her. Or, rather, Luthor/Brainiac. In the aftermath of that fiasco, she'd been given a choice: resign completely, or get reassigned. Though she detested the fact that she no longer had the influence she had, the decision had been easier than she would have thought.

But, then Eiling, the idiot, had to go and take that serum. Having made himself into a monster, he had challenged the League, only to realize he had become that which he hated most. No one had heard of what had happened to him since then. There were rumors, however, that he might be somewhere in the Pacific Northwest. But, there were no confirmed sightings.

Despite all of this, she still had her ear to the wall. She still had her contacts. She also had a patch into satellite feeds, as well as an inside man in the new Cadmus initiative.

"Ma'am?" A technician had come into her office, a slightly distressed look on his face.

"Yes," Waller answered, looking up.

"We're getting preliminary reports of an incident in Metropolis. It seems Superman is fighting an unknown opponent, one our database has no record of."

"Are they moving a satellite into position?"

"Yes, ma'am," he answered. "It should be overhead in about ten minutes."

"Good," she answered. "Get me a patch into the feed."

- - - -

**Metropolis**

As the heroes watched the two combatants fell out of view, Wonder Woman emerged out of the bank, none the worse for wear.

"Princess," Batman asked. As he asked, Jean and Cain returned to the group. They were just in time to see the Amazonian princess return, floating down to the ground.

"I'm fine," Diana replied. The short answer and question nagged at the back of Jean's mind. Something in the way the dark-clad man said the single word made her think there might be something between the two. But, what exactly triggered that idea, she could not say.

"What are this thing's weaknesses," Batman asked again, speaking to the entire group of X-Men.

"He has very few weaknesses," came the voice of the Professor. While everyone else had been fighting physically, he'd still been in Superman's mind, trying to stave off the creature. But, he'd been pushed out of the Kryptonian's mind violently, causing him to lose consciousness briefly. But, he'd woken up in time to see what had happened between the Hulk and Superman. "He is further empowered by both radiation, and an increasing anger level. Our only course of action is to calm him down," he continued. "However, that is much easier said than done.

"But, we have a bigger problem. The creature that is in control of your friend," he motioned towards Batman and Wonder Woman, "is extremely powerful." He paused momentarily, gathering his thoughts. "It does not care about the casualties it causes, and has a bloodlust. The Hulk, on the other hand, does not generally harm people intentionally."

"So, we have one who may attack people intentionally, and one that may not realize that people are being hurt," Diana said succinctly.

"We need to get them out of the city," Psylocke said. "Otherwise, we'll have a right big mess."

"I'll take any volunteers," Diana said, easily taking charge.

Warlock turned to his teammates, motioning towards Rogue. "Rogue, go with her. Take Colossus and Juggernaut."

"Sure thing, sugah," the southern belle answered, as the other two powerhouses moved towards her.

"He's my cousin," Supergirl volunteered. "We have the same powers … I might be able to help."

"Watch yourselves," Batman said gruffly. But, between the lines, he meant to be careful not to hurt innocent people around them. It would be much too easy for anyone of the powerful to accidentally hurt someone in their battle.

Supergirl and Rogue each took a proffered hand of the Juggernaut's, lifting the gargantuan man. Diana took Colossus, the five of them flying in the direction of the raging, titanic struggle. As they went off, the Juggernaut could be heard saying, "Finally, round two."

"But, that not withstanding, does not solve the problem of the possession of Superman," the Professor said.

"There may be a way," Sage suddenly spoke. "But, it won't be easy."

- - - -

As the five powerful heroes crested over the buildings into the next street, the Hulk and Superman continued their battle.

Superman landed a punch to the Hulk's right cheek, sending the green behemoth reeling. The possessed Kyrptonian capitalized, rushing his larger opponent, a powerful fist connecting with the gamma-powered powerhouse. The Hulk's body flew backwards, crashing into an apartment building, the lobby and first floor collapsing under the force. Dust billowed out from the gaping hole in the building, obscuring what was happening behind it.

Suddenly, a massive green form leapt out of the dust, its fists clenched together in a hammer. The Hulk's fists came down on Superman's chest, knocking the other man to the ground. Without missing a beat, Superman kicked out, aiming for the Hulk's knees. His left foot connected, a massive thunder-crack echoing throughout the street as the Jade Giant's patella fractured under the stress. The Hulk fell to his knee, his anger growing even as he did so.

The solar-powered Superman stood up, a snarl on his lips. He put his face in the Hulk's, grabbing his throat. "Face it, you insipid oaf," he said, increasing the pressure in his hand, "you are not as powerful as me." It was only a moment later, he realized he said the wrong thing.

The Hulk burst upwards, breaking the hold the other man had on his neck, his knee fully healed. "Hulk is strongest," he roared. "Hulk is STRONGEST THERE IS!!!!!" He pulled his arms wide, and brought them together in a massive thunderclap. The pressure wave knocked Superman back almost twenty feet, his trajectory gouging out a piece of pavement. On either side of them, cars that had been abandoned in advance of the fight were thrown off their wheels, their alarms blaring impotently.

"By Hera," Diana said, seeing the destruction the two of them had caused in such a short amount of time.

"Toldja it'd be bad," Juggernaut said.

"Cain," Rogue asked.

"Put me down first," he replied, already knowing what she wanted. Rogue motioned to Supergirl to lower the giant of a man. They set him down on the ground, Diana and Colossus following shortly behind them. Rogue took off one of her gloves, and placed her hand on the Juggernaut's bare arm, absorbing some of his strength. As she held her hand in place, her eyes began to glow a bright, dark blue – the same color as his armor.

She turned to the others, and said, "The Hulk'll get stronger throughout the fight; the more he's hurt, the stronger he'll get."

"Then," Diana said, "we must do our best to not engage him." The possessed Superman stood up, and floating towards the larger Hulk, locked the powerful humanoid in a grapple in a titanic test of strength. Their shoulders lowered as they pushed against each other, and struggled for purchase, their feet tearing up the pavement as if nothing more than tissue paper. The two began circling, trying to push the other to the ground.

It was the Hulk that finally fell to the ground. But, the being that was inside Superman had swept a foot beneath the Hulk as the green behemoth picked up a leg, causing him to lose balance.

"Now," Diana said, turning to Supergirl. The younger woman took off in a burst of speed, needing no further prompting.

But, the Professor must not have been able to prevent the creature from accessing all of Superman's speed. He still hadn't let go of the Hulk, and in the moment that it took the young woman to reach him, he pulled the Hulk into her path. Her fist connected with his shoulder, instantly dislocating it. The force of the blow turned him around to face the young woman now floating in front of him.

In the moment it took her to realize her mistake, not only had the Hulk's shoulder healed, but he had also made a grab for her. Two massive hands wrapped around her ankles, binding them together. He began turning, picking up momentum, her head scratching out a piece of pavement. He let her go, her body disappearing as she sailed across the city.

Superman, however, had not been sitting idly. Taking advantage of the Jade Giant's shift of attention, he blitzed him, his shoulder driving into the larger being's back. He aimed towards the same apartment building, and with a sudden stop, let the Hulk collide with the fifth floor. The Hulk's massive body arced towards the ground, crashing easily to the basement. As his body hit the foundation, the building seemingly decided it could take no more, and collapsed in on itself, dust and debris flying into the air.

The powerful hero turned towards the others, his face twisted into an evil smirk. "You will all fall before me, lessers," the being said, his voice full of darkness.

"Do not be so sure, comrade," Colossus cried. Superman turned, just in time for an abandoned bus to hit him in the chest. The solar-powered alien easily took the brunt of the blow, rocking slightly from the blow.

"You must do better than that to defeat me," he yelled. Easily picking up the remains of the ruined bus, he threw them at the armored mutant. The bus struck him in the chest, sending him sprawling to the ground, the momentum of the bus sending him sliding across the pavement.

"Get out of him, now," Diana suddenly cried, speeding towards him, Rogue on her heels. In movements too fast for the human eye, the Amazonian landed a flurry of punches across his face, and abdomen. With each blow, his body was rocked backwards, each blow powerful enough to shatter whole buildings. But, her attack had been a diversion.

Before he could attack her, Rogue landed behind him, and held him in a full nelson. "Sugah, Ah'd listen to what she's sayin'. It ain't gonna get easier for ya."

"That's what you think, human," he replied. He shot his head back, catching her in the face. She reeled from the blow, but still held him tightly.

"I ain't about to let ya go," Rogue answered. As she spoke, a red energy began coalescing around Superman, pulsing with his heartbeat. Something about the energy began affecting the powerful mutant, her teeth gritting in pain. "What are y'all doin' ta me," she cried, as the pain intensified. A moment passed before the pain became too much, taking over her entire train of thought. Her grip around him loosened as the pain intensified.

Rogue bent over in pain, her arms hugging her stomach, tears flowing from her eyes. He took the opportunity, and grabbed her by the hair, raising her over his head. "Now, you see your efforts are futile," he gloated.

Diana rushed forward, her fists cocked, intent on rescuing the other woman from his grasp. But, in the moment it took her to reach him, he had turned, and thrown Rogue towards the Amazon. The powerful heroine struggled to stop, and catch the weakened mutant. But, Rogue was moving too fast, and instead of being caught, she collided in mid-air with the dark-haired warrior. The force of the collision sent them flying backwards, their bodies tumbling over each other, their limbs intertwined. Their trajectory sent them into the eighteenth floor of an office building, glass and steel falling to the ground as they did so.

Superman looked on, a satisfied smile crossing his mouth. But, while he was enjoying his victory, another powerful had approached from behind. "Time for round two," came the Juggernaut's rough voice.

He turned in time to have a massive fist strike him in the chest, sending him careening into an abandoned delivery van. The van couldn't handle the force of the fall, and seemingly collapsed in on itself. A moment later, the Kryptonian stood up holding half of the mutilated van in each hand. He threw them in succession, hoping to slow down the armored behemoth before him.

The Juggernaut batted the pieces of van away easily, as a normal man would a fly. And he continued forward, knowing there was nothing the powerful man before him could do to stop him.

The Kryptonian launched a series of punches against the magically-empowered man, each powerful enough to turn a lesser man into nothing more than jelly. But, the Juggernaut continued forward, unfazed. Superman charged towards the larger man, his fist cocked to deliver a singularly powerful blow. The Juggernaut easily stopped the blow, a massive hand hitting the other man in the side, sending him crashing to the ground.

Superman's body made a crease in the pavement, slowing him down. He stood up, intense anger glowing behind eyes … only to hear rubble shifting behind the Juggernaut. The possessed hero turned his attention to the shifting, remembering exactly who was buried there. Rubble and debris suddenly exploded outward as a familiar, gigantic green figure leapt to the street.

The Hulk stepped forward, his titanic muscles flexing as steel cables beneath his skin. He roared, his entire being a fount of pure rage. "Hulk smash Blue Man," he proclaimed, his lips drawn back, baring his teeth.

The Juggernaut took Superman's turn of attention to his advantage, surging forward. The caped hero turned too late, only to see a massive, armored fist strike his face. The former avatar of Cytorrak let loose with an uppercut to the other man's jaw. The punch was so powerful, the Kryptonian's body flew into the air, becoming a speck in the air as he traversed the city. The Hulk, seeing Superman fly through the sky, jumped after him, his powerful legs pistoning him into the air.

"Where'd ya send him," Rogue asked, as she landed next to the Juggernaut.

"That way," he pointed vaguely.

Diana landed next to him, and added, "That's not good."

"Ya wanted 'im outta the city," he protested. "Why ain't it good?"

"The interstate is that way," a deep voice suddenly answered. They turned almost as one, to see the dark figure of Batman standing behind them.

"Ya coulda told us not to make 'em go that way," he said, his gruff voice full of agitation.

"Cain," Warlock's voice suddenly spoke, "the rest of us didn't know either until he went flying that way." The big man turned toward the voice, seeing the co-leader of the X-Men. Beside him, Psylocke and Sage stood, with Shayera standing next to Batman.

"Y'all got a plan," Rogue asked, landing before them. "'Cause this ain't workin' too well."

"It won't be easy," Psylocke answered. "But, we don't have a choice." The six of them began explaining the plan to the other heroes already present. The group of them listened as the plan was laid out, many internally groaning at what they had to do.

"This will not be easy," Colossus stated pensively, a moment later.

"No, it will not," Diana replied conversationally.

A massive boom suddenly drew their attention towards the area where Superman and the Hulk where fighting. A cloud of dust mushroomed into the sky, filling what little they could see that way.

"We should've been following them," Diana stated, readying to fly towards the melee.

"And that would have caused even more destruction," Batman replied stoically. Another boom caught their attention … as a building close to the highway suddenly collapsed, something having gone through it. As if they were massive dominoes, several more buildings began falling; the same something having sailed through them. Several moments later, a building on the other side of the street shook, as a massive green projectile was belched forth from the edifice's innards.

The Hulk landed no more than ten yards from them, coming to rest against the building next to them. Across the street, the building through which he had been thrown began to topple, his sheer size and momentum leaving too large a gap for it to handle. Yet another dust cloud erupted, adding on to the others, becoming a veritable roiling fog of debris. The dark cloud blocked the street, preventing anyone from seeing anything. It was out of this cloud that Superman burst.

He blitzed out of the cloud, and headed straight for the Hulk. Landing several punches in a row, the Kryptonian drove the larger being into the building, glass and debris falling to the ground as they fought inside.

"Damn," Warlock swore. "Looks like we're gonna have to step up our plan." He looked around to everyone gathered. "I hope everybody's ready."

"We're ready," came Shayera's confident reply, the Thanagarian's wings flaring in unsettlement.

"Whenever you're ready," Warlock said, turning towards the Juggernaut. Almost as if they'd heard what they were saying, the fight spilled out onto the street. Superman's body soared out of the building, colliding with the rubble across the street. Following closely, the Hulk stepped out of the gaping hole at the base of the building, his face pulled into a snarl. "Move. Now," came the X-Man's command.

- - - -

When Warlock spoke the command, Juggernaut immediately moved towards the Kryptonian.

The powerful hero noticed, his attention shifting from the Hulk's bulk to that of the Juggernaut. "You wish to play once again, Imp of Cyttorak," he asked, his lips pulled back menacingly.

"Ya really gotta work on insultin' people," Juggernaut replied, continuing forward. Superman stood, his feet lifting off the ground, preparing to blitz. A rustle of feathers caught his attention just before he charged forward, someone landing behind him.

He turned, only to see Shayera standing behind him, her mace crackling with energy. With a mighty war cry, she struck him in the chest, sending him crashing to the ground. A formerly invisible shield of magical energy appeared around his body, glowing with crimson energy. Where the mace had collided with him, cracks had appeared, and had now started to spiderweb out. The shield fell apart as nothing more than a tinted window, the energy dissipating as it hit the ground.

"You have not stop-", Superman began, vehemently. His sentence was cut short when Batman appeared out of nowhere, brandishing the piece of kryptonite he kept in his belt.

"It's time we end this," Batman said stoically, holding the glowing rock in front of him. The possessed Superman fell backwards to the ground, his strength leaving him to the simple piece of rock. He lay on his side, his face pallid with a cold sweat, his hair plastered to his head. But, his eyes suddenly glowed with crimson energy, the shield that had been over his body seemingly growing back. A glimmer of red light spread downwards from his head, once again protecting him.

"You did not think it would be so easy," Superman asked sinisterly. He stood up slowly, his fists clenched.

"Actually, _tovarisch_, we did," came an accented voice. Superman turned, only to see a silver blur collide with him, sending him crashing to the ground. Colossus began pounding on the powerful alien, his massive fists striking against the other man's chest and face.

Easily taking the blows, Superman simply reached up a single arm, and with a single violent movement, sent the Russian sliding across the ground. Colossus' metal skin sparked as he slid across the pavement, ever so slowly stopping his movement. As he stopped, the big mutant stood, and shook off the blow … one that would have liquefied just about anyone else.

Superman rolled over, his gaze on the two League members before him. "You will not stop me," he stated, overconfident.

A massive shadow suddenly fell over him. Before he could react, powerful arms wrapped him in a full Nelson. A massive form squatted over him, arcing his back upwards, straining his muscles. "Now yer mine," came Juggernaut's gruff voice.

- - - -

When Warlock spoke the command, the others had moved to intercept the Hulk.

Sage walked calmly towards the Hulk, the others behind her. They were only there if she could not calm him down; there had only been one person, to her knowledge, that had ever been able to always calm him. But, she knew it was highly improbable for his dead wife to suddenly show up in the middle of the street in an entirely different dimension. "We can only hope this will work," she said over her shoulder to Rogue and Diana.

As the Hulk stepped forward into the street, Sage crossed into his peripheral vision. His massive head turned towards her, his entire countenance calming almost instantaneously. "Tessa," he asked, confused. He looked towards Superman, who was now combating against Colossus. "But, Blue Man hurt Tessa," he proclaimed, anger creeping back into his voice.

"No," she said, close enough to touch him. A single hand reached to his forearm; her fingers, stretched to the maximum, could barely fit around the curve of his musculature. "It wasn't him," she said. "It was what was in him," she continued.

He looked confused again, seemingly trying to figure out what she was saying. Realization seemed to dawn on him as he asked, "Red Worm Thing?"

"Yes," she answered.

He turned back towards Superman, bristling. "Red Worm Thing try hurt Tessa! Red Worm Thing try hurt Blue Man! Hulk hate Red Worm Thing!"

Next to the technopath, Diana, seeing the look in his eyes, knew that if Tessa did not have her hand on his arm, the Hulk would have attacked. Her attention was shifted when she heard a gruff voice say loudly, "Now yer mine."

"Now, it's our turn," Psylocke said, walking towards the captive Superman. She unsheathed her sword, the blade shining in the light. Beside her, Warlock had done the same. Standing before the Kryptonian, they held their swords before them, concentrating.

"Here goes nothing," Warlock said. As he spoke, their swords came alive with energy. The ancient lettering engraved in the metal began glowing an eerie red, electrical sparks beginning to run up and down the blades. They drew their swords back, the energy gaining strength.

They looked at each other, and nodded, clenching their jaws, hoping it would work. They plunged their swords into the Kryptonian's chest … but the blades seemd to turn to pure glowing energy just as they hit his flesh. Superman's head rocked backwards in pain, the same white energy around the blades bleeding out of his clenched teeth. Red energy coalesced in his eyes … but it was not his heat vision.

The white energy seemed to increase in brilliance, an bright flash bursting from the blades. The red energy in Superman's eyes began to diminish, being replaced with the white energy. As the white energy fully took the place of the red, Warlock and Psylocke withdrew their swords from his chest. The bright light vanished immediately, bright spots remaining in their vision.

A moment later, a red blur flew out of Superman's chest, seemingly leaving a trail of smoke. Superman's head lolled to one side, unconscious, his chest smoking from the massive amount of energy being used.

Warlock and Psylocke followed the red blur with their vision, only to see a … red worm-like thing. It was perhaps a foot long, with small foot-like appendages on its underside. Its front ended with tentacles that came to a point, giving it an almost squid-like appearance. The tentacles opened to reveal a beaked mouth surrounded by small black teeth. It hissed, and began chattering in agitation. The tentacles closed as it turned, clumsily moving across the pavement. A single tentacle raised, undulating as it did so. It fully closed again, and suddenly blasted away with a burst of red energy.

The burst of energy sent the worm flying towards the Hulk. Before the massive powerhouse could react, the creature collided with his titanic chest. As the creature collided, a burst of blue energy erupted from the Hulk, repelling the creature. The worm landed on the ground, the Hulk advancing on it. "Hulk HATE Red Worm Thing!!!"

The worm thing chattered again, backing up, as best it could, from the large green being. It began turning again, going through the same process. In another burst of red energy, it soared towards the Juggernaut, hoping to possess him. The worm crashed into the man's armor, and bounced off in another direction as nothing more than a rubber ball.

The worm sailed through the air … on a collision course with Colossus. It hit the Russian's metal chest with a wet thud, followed by the sound of searing flesh. The worm screeched in pain, as it fell to the ground, smoke rising from its body.

"Kill it," came Sage's voice. "Piotr, you must kill it."

"I…," he began, picking it up. As he grasped it, it began to smoke again, a wailing shriek coming out of its small body. The suddenness of the sound startled him, causing him to flex his fist. As he accidentally crushed the worm, its innards oozed out of its body … even as it began to carbonize. As he opened his hand, what was left of the creature floated into the air, flakes of black ash falling to the ground. "I did not mean to," he said, shaken from the sound of the creature's pain.

"Ya did good, Petey," Logan said, putting a hand on the larger man's shoulder.

"If you had not killed it," Tessa said, "it would have possessed someone else. That is what it was … a parasite."

The group of heroes was finally able to have a respite from all the fighting, the street around them suddenly very quiet. In the abrupt, thunderous silence, sirens could be heard in the distance, ambulances and police rushing to various emergencies throughout the city. Behind them, the buildings that had collapsed gave way to piles of rubble, pressurized streams of water spouting out of the wreckage.

"My God," Jake said, surprised. Hundreds of voices suddenly inundated his mind, becoming a cacophony of thoughts. He winced in pain … many of the voices seemed to be those of the injured around them.

_Oh, God, I'm trapped .… I can't feel my legs_ …. _Is that blood?_ …. _Ah, fuck, I think she's dead!_ …. _I'm dying, oh god I'm dying I wish I'd told Samantha I was sorry…._

Jake looked up, and to his surprise, saw Betsy and Logan wincing from the massive sensory input. "We have to do something," Jake said.

"Yes, we do," Betsy replied. Her tone of voice said something that her words could not. Jake looked at her in surprise, his eyes wide. But, he slowly seemed to acquiesce, nodding ever so slightly.

"We need to try," he said, taking her arms in his.

"Yes, we need to at least try," she replied. They leaned their foreheads against each other, their forearms in each other's hands. Energy began to crackle along their forearms, sparking between their arms. As the emerald energy reached the mid-point between their arms, it began to form a small ball. As more energy crossed the center, the ball grew in size, the green energy becoming speckled with silver.

"They're gonna kill themselves," Rogue suddenly said, realizing what they were doing. "We gotta stop 'em."

"What are they doing," Diana asked, shielding her eyes as the light increased.

"They're tryin' ta fix what happened," Logan answered. "But, it didn't work all that great last time."

"Yeah," Rogue said, "they almost died, and they weren't able to fix everythin'."

"Then what are we waiting for," Shayera asked, heaving her mace.

"NO," Sage warned. But it was too late. Shayera swung her mace, meaning to strike the ball of energy. As her swing arced down, an almost translucent green energy shield erupted over their bodies. The electricity running the surface of her mace backfired as it hit the magical shield, sending the mace's energy coursing through her. Her body flew backwards from the power, landing on the ground several feet away. Smoke drifted up from her body, scorch marks on her hands.

But, before they could come to her aid, the green ball of energy suddenly grew outwards. It encompassed both Betsy and Jake, magical energy coursing around them. The light became blindingly bright, appearing almost as a nuclear explosion. And, in less time than it takes for the blink of an eye, the energies violently exploded outward. A great wall of emerald light washed over them, encompassing everything.

- - - -

**Fifteen Minutes Later**

Amanda Waller was sitting behind her desk when the same technician she spoke with earlier came into her office.

"Well," she asked, turning to look as the young man.

"Ma'am," he began, "we've been having trouble with the video." He shrank as he spoke, afraid of her wrath.

"You have nothing then," she asked, her face screwing into a scowl.

"Oh, no, ma'am, not at all," he replied. He had an extremely nasally voice, one that she found grated on her nerves. "We do have the audio tap, ma'am, and we have the last few images our satellites took." She looked at him questioningly, expecting the photos. "Oh, sorry," he said, nervously, placing a manila folder on her desk.

She opened the folder, and spread the pictures out in front of her. "This is quite extraordinary," she said after a moment, looking up at the tech.

"Ma'am," he asked. She looked up at him questioningly. "Look at the time codes."

She looked down to the lower right hand corner of the pictures. She rearranged them, showing them in the correct order. As she studied the pictures in the correct order, the blood drained from her face. "What," she began, stumbling for the words. "What," she began again, "have they decided?"

"They've reactivated Cadmus," the tech replied. "They've put General Russell Thornton in charge."

"Thank you," she answered. "You're dismissed." As the young man left, she looked at the pictures again, struggling to comprehend what she saw.

In the first picture, a man and a woman were standing against each other, their arms entwined. Around them, the streets were strewn with rubble, buildings demolished.

In the second picture, a massive green light took up the entire picture, preventing anything else from showing up.

In the third picture, the couple had collapsed on the ground. But, around them, there was no rubble. There was no debris. All the buildings, the streets, everything … was exactly as it had been several hours earlier.


	7. Many Meetings

Chapter 7: Many Meetings

**Three Days Later – Aboard the Watchtower**

All seven seats in the conference room were filled. In six of the seats were founding members of the League: Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, the Flash, and Shayera Hol. The only founding member absent was J'onn J'onnz, the Martian Manhunter, who had left his post some time earlier in order to reconnect with humanity. In his place sat Aquaman, Orin, King of Atlantis.

"But, the question remains," Superman continued in an already ongoing argument, "do we allow the government to question them?"

"Is there another choice," Diana asked. "If we don't, won't we be losing the trust of the government?"

"That's exactly what they'd think," Batman answered. "Especially considering what happened to Metropolis."

"I've seen this happen before," John Stewart, the Green Lantern said. "I think we all have. Someone gets a lot of power, and both their enemies and their allies begin to fear them."

"Hey, what's the big deal," Flash asked. "I mean, they're on our side, aren't they? And they did fix the city."

The energy that Warlock and Psylocke had crated had spread across the entire city. As it spread, buildings that had been destroyed in the fight suddenly became erected. There had been no actual rebuilding, as if the buildings were being rewound. Instead, the debris, and pieces of the building were absorbed by the green energy, and then seemingly deposited in their correct arrangement in the buildings. The entire building glowed once everything was in place, solidifying itself, making it whole once again. The entire process had taken less than ten seconds for each building the energy crossed.

All the people who had been injured in the fight had been healed instantaneously, as well. People who were lying in the streets had been revived as the energy washed over them, sitting up several moments later. There were reports from rescue workers of people who had been dying in pools of their own blood who were entirely healed only moments later. A number of them, upon seeing the puddles of blood on the ground, had apparently been shell shocked.

Those people would have remained that way … if it were not for a side effect of the energy wave. It seemed that the energy also made people forget their worries. Within minutes of people having been healed, they were able to cope with their brushes with death. Most found that though they were not exactly euphoric, they were incredibly upbeat, and felt as if they could take on the world. The effect was so powerful that there were reports of terminally ill patients at the nearby hospitals that, though they were not healed, were enervated, and were found to be entirely unafraid of their certain deaths.

"And if they were to turn that power on us," Batman asked. "What then?"

"Considering what happened in Metropolis, would we even be able to defend ourselves," Aquaman asked.

"They fought alongside us, and were willing to sacrifice themselves to fix the city," Shayera said. After their energy expenditure, Warlock and Psylocke had collapsed, exhausted, and barely able to speak. "Surely, that has to count for something," the Thanagarian said.

"But, we must still allow the government to question them," Diana argued. "Otherwise, they will believe we are protecting them, and will think it as an act of hostility."

"Agreed," Superman said. The others around the table seemed to acquiesce, though the Flash was the most hesitant. "But, the other reason we are here is to find out if their story tracks."

Batman addressed the group. "I had Fate look into their claim that they are these 'Protectors'. He is still looking into it."

"In the meantime," Aquaman spoke up, "I've also been looking into their claims." He placed an old scroll on the table. It was yellowed with age, the edges frayed with time. The metal handles were dulled, hiding their former glory. "This scroll is an account of a prophecy made when Atlantis was still young, long before it fell beneath the waves."

"What does it entail," Diana asked, leaning forward.

The great king replied gravely. "It speaks of an ancient war between the Olympians and Asgardians, and an opponent that is never outright mentioned. At the beginning of the narrative, the author explains that he is afraid to mention the name of the opponent, for fear of possibly rousing them. But, it is clear when it says that the gods faced a very small contingent of the Enemy.

"Nonetheless, the gods were incredibly outnumbered, and were on the verge of losing. They had retreated to Olympus, their last refuge from this Enemy that had so easily taken over the world. It was there on Olympus that they had a final council to determine what they could do.

"According to the scroll, it was Athena that made the suggestion. She suggested they invoke something the scroll calls the 'Great Dragon' in order to defeat the Enemy. But, as to what this 'Great Dragon' was, the scroll does not clarify."

"I've never heard tell of a great dragon," Diana said. "Perhaps it is Norse?"

"No," Batman replied bluntly. "It is not Norse."

"Regardless," Aquaman continued, "by invoking this Great Dragon, the gods were able to defeat this Enemy." He paused, his face grave. "But, the invocation had a cost. The prophecy in the scroll deals primarily with this." He looked down to the papyrus script, and began reading aloud.

"Yea, ye that doth read this, take thee heed. By the invocation of the Great Dragon, the gods hath not slain the Enemy, but hath only deterred them. When a Council arises, one that hath been made by the Great Changeling, so shall come the spirit of the Great Dragon. Once the spirit of Great Dragon hath united with His own, then shall be the time of the Protectors, who shall defeat the Enemy. Take heed, and have faith, ye that doth read this, for if thou art in aforesaid Council, and ye hath met the Protectors, thou art touched by the divinity of the Great Dragon, and his son, the Great Wingéd Lord of the Blesséd Realm. And ye shall surely be found in the Last Battle with the Five Armies of the Blesséd Realm, and the Last Free Peoples."

"Um …," the Flash began. "Is anybody as confused as I am," he asked, taking his feet off the table.

**Several Hours Later – Metro Tower, Metropolis**

Charles Xavier sat in a small room, a plain metal table placed exactly in the middle of the "interrogation room".

That was what this small room had been made into. At the behest of the United States government, the Justice League had acquiesced to allowing government officials interview each of the X-Men. This was, as they had been told, to find out what had happened several days earlier. But, despite the seemingly good intentions, the geneticist could not shake the apprehension he felt. Something, he knew, wasn't quite right.

And he wasn't the only one who had this feeling. Storm had been talking about an odd sensation she'd been feeling, almost as if there was something … unnatural plaguing the very planet itself. Both Warlock and Psylocke had been talking about an unbalance they could feel, something that seemed to affect their energy levels. Their energy levels kept on ratcheting up; each time, the intensity of the change caused them to almost curl into balls from the pain.

But, worst of all was Wolverine. Something had been putting him on edge that last few days, and he couldn't place it. He was spending more time either alone, or only with Jean. At this point, she was the only one that could actually calm him down. Otherwise, he was liable to go off on someone at the drop of a hat. And, the last thing they needed was for Logan to go berserk.

He was broken from his reverie as the door behind him opened. In walked three men, and a woman, all dressed in business suits. They carried themselves stiffly, as if there were a regulation that forced them to remain rigid. The woman and the first man sat down at the table, both with a number of file folders.

The man offered his hand, "My name is King Faraday." He motioned towards the woman at his side, "This is Allison Krause." He motioned to the other men, "And behind you are Bruno Parelli, and Terrence Czapek. They will be assisting me in my questions. And you are?"

The powerful telepath had been considering how he should reply to this question. His unease had made him wary to use his real name. When the four of them had entered the room, he performed surface scans of their minds, just enough to know their names, and intentions. Faraday, it seemed, had a real want to help people, and to assist the League. But, he was wary of the power the League could wield at any moment. Krause seemed to be of the same mind.

But, the other two had been huge blanks spots in his mind. In fact, he could not even sense their thoughts … even the smallest ideas. Each time he did, it felt as is he were hitting a rounded, obsidian wall. The blackness in his mind was cold, and distant, almost alien, and try as he might to circumvent this wall, he could not. It frustrated him slightly. But, more than anything, it fueled his unease.

"My name," the Professor finally answered, "is Professor X."

* * *

"Can you tell me where you have been," Storm asked kindly.

"I can tell you some things, but not everything," Tessa replied.

The two of them were sitting in the cafeteria in the Metro Tower. It was the first time they had been able to speak since having first seen each other several days beforehand, during the titanic battle. Ororo had wanted to meet in a more private, secluded area, but they had not had a chance. In the wake of the fight, it was thought that it would be better if Banner were on the Watchtower, in case of public outcry. But, Tessa had wanted to go with Bruce, the two of them having been working as a pair for over a year.

Now, several days later, she was expected to speak with several government agents, just as the other X-Men. They were told that the questions would be regarding the events during the battle, and after. But, she knew that the interest here was more sinister than was let on.

"When the bullets hit my lungs," Tessa began, "I knew I was going to die." Before she had disappeared, machines had attacked the mansion. During the attack, she had been mortally injured, having been in the wrong spot at the wrong time. Bullets had ricocheted off Wolverine's shoulder, and had perforated her lungs. "I could feel myself drowning in my own blood."

Tessa was about to continue, when Ororo felt a powerful message from the Professor flash across her mind. _X-Men_, his voice spoke, _be careful when speaking with these agents. I am not entirely certain they are all human. Do not share more information than necessary._

"What is it," Tessa asked, having noticed the faraway look in the other woman's eyes.

Ororo leaned over the table, not wanting to speak too loudly. "Charles is not entirely certain these agents we are to speak with are all human," she whispered. She sat back in her chair, a troubled look on her face. Looking back at her friend, she said, "I have been having a feeling of disquiet that has not calmed since I have been here."

Tessa leaned over the table, this time, a sudden, steely glint in her eyes. "Do not share this with anyone else that you have not already," Tessa whispered fiercely. "We cannot allow too much information to pass along." She sat back down in her seat, leaving Ororo slightly perplexed. A moment later, she continued with her story.

* * *

King Faraday sat at the table he was going to be at for the next several hours. After only two interviews, he had learned almost nothing more than what he had already known. The first interviewee, when asked his name, had obviously thought about it for a moment. And, though he was relatively sure that the bald-headed man really did go by Professor X, Faraday knew that he would have given his true name … if not for something.

What that something was, he did not know.

The second person had proven to be as forthcoming, if not less so. He'd been a blonde "pretty boy" with an impressive physique, and massive white feathers. But, the man seemed to have a great ability to avoid questions. Faraday suspected he was either a politician, or a businessman, as he seemed to think quite quickly on his feet. Archangel he had been called.

He was now waiting for the next person. He was looking at his notes when the door opened. Beside him, he heard Krause take in a sharp breath, and hold it. He looked over to her, only to see her have a hand over her mouth, her eyes wide in shock. He followed her gaze, and almost leapt out of his seat at the sight.

"Salutations," Beast greeted, in all his leonine glory. Their reactions struck him deeply, even though he was accustomed to such reactions. He buried his feelings for the moment, forcing himself to remember what Ororo told him when he faced these responses.

"You are the most beautiful, intelligent, caring man I have ever known," she would say. "And I pity anyone who would judge you differently for they cannot think beyond their own ignorance."

"Hello," Faraday finally responded. "Please take a seat," he said, gesturing towards the chair.

The blue-furred doctor took the seat slowly, warily. As he did so, the chair groaned under his impressive musculature. He gritted his teeth for just a moment (giving both Faraday and Krause a good view of his dauntingly large teeth) hoping the chair did not collapse under his weight. He sighed contentedly as the groans settled, but he dared not move too much.

As he finally relaxed, he picked up the scents in the room. He could smell both Krause and Faraday. He looked to his left, and saw behind him the other two agents on either side of the door. A moment later, their scents reached his nose.

The fur on the back of his neck raised suddenly, a growl forming at the back of his throat. An unprecedented, primal fury flooded his brain. He bared his teeth, his sharp claws digging into the chair's armrests. Everything in his being was telling him to attack these last two agents, to tear them to shreds, to end their lives as violently as possible. He was on the verge of actually rushing them, his claws aching to rend them to pieces … when a rational thought passed through his mind.

Ororo's words dashed through his thoughts, instantly calming him. The rationality that his lover's words brought allowed him to separate himself from his instincts, if only for a short while. He pushed the feelings down as hard as he could, and concentrated on pacifying himself. As he did so, he began to wonder what exactly came over him. It seemed as if the two agents behind him had struck a primeval chord in his mind, pushing his higher thought processes out of the way.

He wondered, idly, if what he had been feeling was similar to Logan's berserker rage.

"Are you okay," Faraday suddenly asked, breaking Beast's reverie. The leonine mutant finally took notice of the man. His body was calm, and loose, but his right hand had moved closer to an almost imperceptible bulge in his suit coat.

"My sincerest apologies," Beast answered, evenly. "It seems as though something was genuinely agitating me in a manner in which I am not accustomed." He paused momentarily, noticing that Krause, next to Faraday, was looking at him suspiciously. "Now, shall we get on with this interview?"

* * *

"I could feel the cold mist on my face as I lay dying," Tessa continued. "At the time I thought I was delirious as I could suddenly feel strong but tender hands picking me up."

"There were people in the mist," Ororo asked. She remembered that battle all too well. As she had fallen asleep from whatever had been in the thick, blue-gray mist, she had not been able to see anything beyond her own nose. "What happened next," she asked gently. She was all to aware of how taxing this was on her younger friend.

"I passed out," the younger woman answered. "When I awoke, I was not sure of where I was, nor was I aware of how much time had passed." She paused momentarily. "It took all of a minute and thirty-seven seconds for them to take notice of the fact that I had awakened."

"Them," the white-haired woman asked, becoming more interested.

"The Order of the Elements," Tessa answered. Ororo sat back in her seat, a look of surprise on her face, her eyes wide. "Yes," Tessa said, seeing her friend's response. "The Order is everywhere and nowhere at the same time. And it was because of them that I am even here today.

"In any event, a younger woman came to my side, and offered me a drink of water. I asked her what had happened. She replied that I had been saved from certain death. She further told me that I was to be inducted into the Order."

"Why," Ororo asked.

Tessa looked up at the other woman, and smiled. "We were told that though we were touched by the energies of Avalon, we would have a part in the preparation of our world for the war that is to come. That is the ultimate goal of the Order: to prepare humanity for the Great War that will come, one that will be far worse than anything the world, the universe, or any other universe has ever seen."

* * *

"Do you think this next one will be any better," Krause asked Faraday.

He dry-washed his face, sighing into his hands. "We can only hope," he replied.

It seemed as if all the people they had interviewed had been told to not say anything. As to when that had been, they could not say.

After Beast, they had spoken with several other people. They spoke with a man who called himself Bishop, who had a crude tattoo of an "M" over an eye. Faraday had thought him to be quite taciturn, but when the large man was asked about the tattoo he gave new meaning to the word. A man who called himself Cable came next. He'd been rather quiet, and had answered their questions … to a certain extent. When pressed, he shut down, one of his eyes beginning to glow yellow. They let him go soon after that, not ready to face an unknown metahuman's unknown powers.

This had followed with Cyclops, who acted as if he were extremely uptight (though they could not help but to notice the familial resemblance between Cyclops and Cable). Colossus answered all of their questions quite enthusiastically … in Russian. Unfortunately, none of them in the room could understand him. Gambit had been able to gain both his, and Krause's trust. While the man was in the room, Faraday had felt as if the two of them could have gone out for a couple of beers. And Krause had gushed over the Cajun, going so far as to be openly flirtatious (he suspected that the man was able to bend people's emotions).

His reverie was broken as the door was opened, a curvaceous blonde woman walking in. Her attire was skimpy, to say the least, a white top that revealed a continuous "X" across her chest. She also wore white short-shorts, revealing her impressive legs. Though Faraday was momentarily taken in by her dress, he quickly became uncomfortable. Beside him, he noticed that Krause had seemed to take an instant dislike to the woman.

"And you are," Faraday asked, as she sat in the chair.

"You may call me Emma," the former White Queen replied. She had scanned their minds as she had entered the room, and had found several interesting facts. This King Faraday apparently had a secret attraction to a certain actress in a movie involving an ice-pick, and a murder. Allison Krause, she found, had had an unrequited attraction to one of her dorm roommates in college, a Greek woman with olive skin, and long black hair. It seemed, though, that Krause had never acted on this attraction as she did not think it was returned, and she was uncomfortable with the idea of a straight woman being attracted to another.

Emma pocketed this information, as she purposefully crossed her legs to evoke images of the actress Faraday had fantasized about. She did not let the fact that she was flustered by her inability to read the other two agents on her face. Instead, she focused her mind on the other two, ever so slowly making the agents think she looked like someone else.

* * *

Tessa continued her story, saying, "After I had rested, the Order members took me on a tour of the ground upon which their base is located. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you much about this place. But, I can tell you that their base is massive, and is expansive beyond what any would think."

"And you were willing to be inducted into the Order so easily," Ororo asked.

"No," the other woman answered. "At first I was planning on escaping in order to return to the mansion." She paused, looking up at her friend. "But, I was dissuaded once I learned of what would happen without the help of the Order; that is when I learned what might happen to not only the X-Men, but everyone else on Earth."

"What will happen," Ororo asked, her eyes inquiring.

"I can't say," Tessa replied. "But, once we learned of what would happen, we were more than willing to accept the offer."

"We?"

"Myself," Tessa responded, "Bruce, Dani Moonstar, and Alex Summers."

"They're alive," Ororo asked, her voice raising sharply. Outside, the weather responded to her surprise, the overcast sky suddenly becoming sunny becoming cloudy once again.

"Yes," Tessa answered, beckoning her friend to return to her seat. Several people at neighboring tables had looked sharply at her outburst, wondering what had happened. "Though they are presently on a mission that I know nothing about."

* * *

Allison Krause looked at her partner/boss sitting next to her. He'd taken it personally that they had not been able to get any information out of the group of people who had called themselves the X-Men (which was about the only thing they had learned).

After Emma Frost had left (she was the only one whose real name they had), things had gone well, for the most part. They hadn't learned much more, but they also hadn't had any real problems. Both felt that the Juggernaut was probably someone they would red-flag as someone that no one should touch. The one called Jubilee had, when asked their questions, started rambling on about shopping at the mall. Faraday had then made the mistake of trying to intimidate the young firecracker.…

Other than that, things had gone well. Parelli and Czapek had, for one reason or another, seemed to be skittish around the red-head, whose name was Phoenix. Faraday had thought this to be unimportant … until they were acting the same around the purple-haired woman, Pyslocke. They'd also acted the same way around both Warlock, and Wolverine (though, in all honesty, the little man was actually almost able to intimidate him; the only other person to hold that honor was Batman). But, when the woman named Seraph had walked in, the two agents had actually shrunk away from her, almost as if they were afraid of her.

And it wasn't until that had happened that he realized something was wrong with the pair. Normally, the two of them would never have been fazed by anyone, let alone a slim woman with wings (three pairs of them, but that was beside the fact). The fact that neither one of them had said a single word all day had also made him suspicious. Something was seemingly wrong with the two, but he wasn't quite sure.

He'd decided to find out. "Been a long day, hasn't it, Parelli," he asked. The four of them were on their way out of the interview room, where they'd been there for the entire day. Now, finally they were able to leave, though they were going to have to go to the office to sift through their information. It was yet more paperwork.

His attention towards Parelli was shifted once they left the room, though. Looking around, Faraday saw that there were numerous people staring at him, none of them happy. In fact, most of them seemed to be on edge, for one reason or another. He realized that the people that were staring at the four of them were all the people they'd interviewed.

It was then that it happened.

A loud thump sounded behind him, followed by a crack, and a scream of pain. He turned, and saw Krause lying on the ground. On top of her sat something that looked lizard-like. Its entire body was scaled, its eyes red, with slits for irises. Its chest was yellow, and its back was dark green, almost black. A ridge of scales ran along its spine, ending on its tail, where the ridges erupted into yellowed, seven inch spikes. It had two fingers on each hand, each with a wicked claw, and a third, retractable claw almost as long as the spikes.

It was as he was noticing the creature in front of him that he was tackled, a great weight on him. On the floor, he turned his head, only to see the other creature on top of him, its lower mouth separated, revealing sharp teeth. Its mouth lowered, green saliva dribbling from its jaws. Just before the creature's mouth was about to surround his head, its attention was suddenly turned elsewhere.

It was Storm that reacted first. When the first creature had attacked, she had suddenly felt … power. She could feel power, strength, and goodness envelop her, as if a warm blanket had been placed over her body. She could feel a gentle, but commanding voice whispering in her ear, telling her what to say.

She turned her attention towards the creature that had attacked Faraday. Power surged through her, as her tongue was loosed, words flowing from her mouth. "_IHALEN_," her voice commanded, seemingly coming from her mouth, and the air itself. A burst of white energy erupted from her outstretched hand, rushing towards the creature. As it did, time seemed to slow around her.

As if in slow-motion, she saw the creature react to the white energy, shielding its face with its arms. A globe of barely visible red energy rose to protect the creature. The energies collided, the white energy forcing the creature back, and destroying the shield. But, the white burst had been deflected to her left, and it now barreled towards a group of League members.

The burst struck a woman in fish-net stockings, and spread out along her arms. It solidified as it struck her wrists, and stretched out towards the ground. As it did so, it continued to solidify, becoming massive chains holding the woman to the ground. The woman must have said something, though Storm could not be sure of what it was. She was still seeing things moving slowly. And, now she realized differently.

When the ball of light had been deflected, Seraph had charged towards the creature. Instead of seeing her teammate in her normal X-gear, Storm saw that she was dressed in some sort of ancient clothing. Her boots had disappeared to reveal sandals with leather twine winding itself up her legs to mid-calf. The pants she'd been wearing had given way to a gilded skirt of gold and silver, calling to mind images of ancient Greek warriors. Her top was gilded as was the skirt. It left her flat, well-muscled abdomen bare. Over her chest, gold and silver covered soft brown fabric in the shape of three overlapping pairs of wings. The wings were joined at a single point with a blue sapphire over the bare skin of her breast bone. Her long, dark hair flowed wildly behind her, a circlet of silver on her head. At its front was the same design as was on her bust. And in each hand, she bore a short, Roman-style double-edged sword.

Storm's attention was drawn to the woman in the fish net stockings. She too was no longer was dressed as she had been. Instead, she was now dressed in a sort of medieval battle gear, a cloak about her. In one hand she now held a long staff. From her eyes now issued a strange incandescence, as if she could tap into otherworldly powers.

She saw Wolverine to her right, now clad in pants of brown animal skin. His feet were covered in the same material. His upper body was completely bare, except for what appeared to be a piece of armor on his left shoulder. It was carved intricately, though from here, she could not make out the shape. His face was covered in some sort of paint, giving him an even more fearsome look. In his right hand he held a long, double-edged sword with a blade made of midnight black metal. Near where the blade met the handle, there was an etching in pure white. Again, she could not see what the etching was.

Phoenix stood next to him, her long red hair proudly flowing behind her. She was dressed similarly, her legs covered in brown animal skin. The same material was on her torso, keeping her arms bare, and revealing a fair amount of cleavage. Across her chest in stark red was the image of a flaming bird of prey, its wings spread, prepared for flight. In her right hand was a single-edged sword, its blade curving slightly backwards as a scimitar. The other edge of the blade was intricately designed, curved and convoluted as a rising flame. Near the handle, this blade, too, had an etching. In bright, flaming red the image of the Phoenix glowed.

Suddenly, Storm could see herself as if from another's eyes. She was clad entirely in white, and limned in gold. Her feet were bare, though golden anklets adorned her ankles. She wore a golden belt, intricately designed as to appear as a two storm fronts meeting at one spot. From this belt hung pure white fabric, edged with gold, between her legs both in front and behind her, leaving all else bare. On her torso, she wore white cloth that ran from her neck to her belt. The fabric split in two just above her navel, the two streams crossing each other above her chest. Attached to all this was a cloak, attached to her wrists, and her neck. In her left hand was a staff, slightly crooked, with a pearl set in the knob at its summit. Somehow she knew that it was an extension of her self, and that it could take the shape of any weapon she chose.

Storm's attention was finally drawn to Batman, and Wonder Woman. He was clad in gleaming, gray armor, an etched bat symbol in his chest. About him was a black cape that seemed to cut out all light. Upon his head he wore a helm that was the shape of his cowl, covering his eyes and nose. About his waist was an intricate belt, a sword hanging in a scabbard at his side. An opal adorned the base of the sword's hilt, glistening dangerously.

Beside him stood Wonder Woman. She was clad in a white tunic that reached down to her ankles. It was clasped together over one shoulder with a brooch of gold. On head was a crown, gleaming in the light. Her feet were clad in sandals, and around her waist was a belt of gold shot with silver. A sword hung from her belt, a diamond placed in its hilt. At the same time, though, Storm could see her in the battle gear of her people, her lasso on her right hip, sword on her left.

Diana moved forward as if to fight the creatures. But, Batman struck out a restraining hand, holding her wrist. She must have been willing to be restrained, as she could have easily broken the grip. But, when his fingers had touched her skin, the X-Woman could feel another power. Light seemed to emanate from their touch, and she could suddenly feel the potential for … strength… life … love. And from this, knew came the ultimate … the ultimate … what?

She suddenly felt the Power leave her, leaving her feeling the world as it was. The air seemed to be cold, the very air around her no longer light. She stumbled momentarily, weakness overtaking her. Nearly bending over in her weakened state, she looked up, and saw that only a couple of seconds had passed since she'd felt the Power overtake her.

Seraph charged towards the creature that had been on Faraday. Though the blast had been deflected, it had still knocked the creature off of the thing. It stood as she neared, its jaws open, baring its teeth. The creature swiped at her with its left arm, but she ducked, and landed a punch to its face from the opposite direction. The creature staggered backwards from the blow, shaking its head. As it stopped moving, the winged mutant saw that the part of its jaw where her fist had landed had began to carbonize, as if a smoldering cigarette.

The creature felt the smoldering hole, pulling its hand away in what seemed to be surprise. It roared, its three-pronged jaws opening wide, its hands spreading wide. In an instant, it had changed its form, becoming a figure in some sort of high-tech armor. The effect on Seraph was almost instantaneous.

She stopped, standing stock still. Her blue eyes widened and her jaw opened in surprise. Her hands hung limp at her side, her three pairs of wings doing the same from her back. Tears welled in her eyes, as her face alternated between fear, disgust, and rage. Finally, her eyes hardened, her fists flexing at her sides. Her irises became iridescent, blue energy glowing at the back of her mouth. Her lips were pulled back, her teeth bared, a holy rage filling her.

She rushed forward, a war-cry bellowing from her mouth that would take even the Valkyries of Asgard aback. She spread her wings, gliding just above the ground. Just before she reached the creature, she flapped them mightily, flipping herself in mid-air. A single foot landed on its chest, sending the creature colliding with the wall. Before it could even take a breath, she was on him, a battle lust taking over her mind.

She landed a flurry of punches, each rocking the creature against the wall. With each blow, a small amount of skin smoked, and began to burn away. The creature, now in its true form, finally was able to duck to its right. A powerful punch landed where its head had just been, Seraph's fist creating a deep dent in the metal wall. The creature tried to get away from her unyielding attack, but she caught it across its snout with the back of her other fist.

The creature reeled, sprawling on the floor. It scrambled to get up, knowing fear for the first time in its life. Before it was able to move far, Seraph's powerful hands caught its tail, her hands burning it on contact. She squeezed tighter, the tail melting away at her mere touch. The creature stumbled forward as its tail fell to the ground with a heavy thump. It looked back momentarily, only to see its limb had disintegrated into nothing but ash.

Finally, the creature was able to move forwards. But, it was ungainly, unaccustomed to not having the weight of its tail. A ball of blue energy erupted from Seraph's mouth, catching the creature in the leg, and scoring the floor beneath. It fell to the ground, part of its leg vaporized under the power of Seraph's blast. As it fell, Seraph was on top of it, raining punch after punch on the creature. With each blow, more of its body became ash, the floor beneath buckling under her strength.

While Storm and Seraph were dealing with the creature on Faraday, Wolverine was dealing with the one on Krause. The first creature had popped one of its claws, and had it ready to plunge into Krause's neck. With but a thought, the feral mutant had broken the arm, and had thrown the creature against the wall. Stunned, the creature fell to the ground, its head moving of its own accord. A moment later, it shook its head, trying to clear the haze over its brain. It snarled, and then, surprisingly, morphed into a figure Wolverine knew all too well.

He unsheathed his claws at the copy of his bitterest enemy. "Ya shoulda picked somethin' else," Wolverine growled. He charged the image of Sabertooth, a blood-curdling war-cry bellowing from his lungs. The Sabertooth doppelganger tried to leap over the smaller man, but Wolverine erected a TK shield, pushing it back to the ground. It stood up, it claws wide, as Wolverine rushed forwards.

It lashed out at the mutant, trying to backhand him across the room. Wolverine easily ducked beneath the blow, plunging a set of claws into the creature's abdomen. The creature reacted, and swiped at the smaller mutant. Wolverine was expecting it; he easily dodged the blow, the creature's forearm colliding with his own. With a savage movement, Wolverine forced its arm down. His metal-laced claws cut through the arm as noting more than a hot knife through butter, followed by a loud, wet thump.

The creature pushed him away forcefully, its scream of pain as a keening banshee even as it returned to its natural form. It held up its stump, revealing the remains of its arm. He'd cut the arm off through the forearm … diagonally, leaving a pointed piece of dripping, purple-stained flesh. It looked downward, trying to find the piece of arm on the floor. But, it had carbonized the moment it had hit the floor, reacting to the metal in Wolverine's claws. "Ya look like 'im," Wolverine said, "but ya don't fight like 'im."

At that, the creature rushed the smaller man, its one clawed hand swinging wide. Just as it was about to come within striking distance, the creature turned sharply, its spiked tail heading for the feral mutant. Wolverine ducked, and jumped to his right. Holding the claws on his left arm up, he let his momentum, and that of the creature, cut through its tail. As the tail piece went flying, Wolverine picked himself up in a movement almost too fast for the eyes to see. His right hand caught the creature in the lower right abdomen. He ripped his claws upwards, splitting the creature in four.

The creature's top began sliding off to the right, making a disturbingly wet sound. The rest of the body fell forward, landing with a wet thud. Wolverine looked up, adrenaline pumping through his system, his claws wet with blood and viscera. His attention was turned to his left, where, to his surprise, he saw the Flash emptying the contents of his stomach.

Wolverine caught sight of Batman, who had seen everything that had happened. The man had pulled his cape around him, and was looking intently at the scene before him. Though the man's stoicism was nigh impenetrable, the feral mutant knew what was going through the other man's head.

* * *

While that was happening, though, Seraph was still pounding on what little was left of the creature she had fought.

"I think he's dead," a gentle voice said beside her. Her reaction was almost instantaneous. She turned her head up to the speaker, and opening her mouth wide, shot a concentrated beam of blue energy. Captain Atom sailed to the other side of the room, the full power of Seraph's mutation loosed. Several other heroes had started to move in, concerned about the woman.

Before they could, though, a lightly accented voice called to them. "No, let me." Nightcrawler walked through them, taking in the scene of Seraph pounding the pile of ash on the floor. He knelt down close to her, and said, softly, "Angela." She looked up, her eyes glowing and expressionless.

Now, he knew, was the most dangerous part. "Angela," he repeated, cupping her face in his hands. The reaction was immediate. Her eyes focused on him, suddenly no longer vacant.

She looked down to what she had been doing. Her hands had started to bleed from the constant punishment, the floor having been torn apart. There was nothing left of the creature except for several piles of ash. She looked up at Kurt, tears filling her eyes. "What … what happened? I don't … don't remember what happened," she said, hysteria creeping into her voice, tears falling freely.

"I know," Kurt replied. He held her gently, knowing full well what it meant to her to have fought even a copy of the armored man. She laid her head on his chest, surrendering herself to his comforting touch. He helped her up, and the two walked slowly towards the room they were sharing together. Along the way, he whispered comfortingly in German.

* * *

Wolverine found the room by following his scent.

He looked down at the keypad next to the door. It'd never open without the code, and he didn't feel like sifting through anyone's mind. Instead, he focused his telekinesis on the sliding mechanisms. A moment later, the doors opened violently, unable to resist the invisible force.

As he walked in, the program that had been running shut down, an annoying klaxon blaring overhead.

"End program," Batman commanded. The klaxon stopped suddenly, the lights in the training room coming up. Around him were a number of machines that had been at the business end of the Dark Knight's punishment.

Wolverine looked around, studying the destroyed machines around him. He kicked the one closest to him, silently impressed. He turned his attention to the other man, who was trying to stare down the feral mutant. "You an' me, we ain't done yet," Wolverine stated bluntly. The memory of their fight cut short was still on his mind.

"Whatever you think there is between us," Batman replied, "I can guarantee it doesn't exist."

"You didn't like it when I killed that thing, did ya," Wolverine said.

"I don't have the time for this," Batman answered, and walked towards the door. As he neared the entrance, the doors suddenly slammed shut, the sound resounding through the room. The Dark Knight turned towards the other man, reaching beneath his cape. "What do you want," he asked menacingly.

"Like I said," Wolverine responded, "we ain't done yet."

"Then…", the other man began. He was interrupted as his communicator beeped in his ear. Placing his finger to the communicator, he asked, "Alfred?"

"We need to talk," a woman's voice answered him.

"Waller," Batman stated, his voice dark. He didn't bother to ask how she was able to get through to his communicator.


	8. Trouble on the Horizon

Chapter Eight: Something or Other

Chapter Eight: Trouble on the Horizon

**Metro Tower, Metropolis**

"What just happened out there," Superman asked.

As soon as they could gather the X-Men's leaders, the original members of the League wanted to speak with them. There were concerns about what exactly had happened with the shape-shifters. Some were worried about what the presence of these things might portend; others were more concerned with the way in which the things were dispatched.

Superman happened to be one of the latter.

"We know little more than you," Beast said. He was stitching up a diagonal cut across Krause's forearm; the creature's claws had scratched her in any number of places. Faraday had faired little better, and had a large bandage affixed to his forehead. A small, growing red circle showed where the wound had been sewn shut.

"Why don't you share what you know," Faraday asked, irritation creeping into his voice.

"They were demons of some form," Professor Xavier said, stepping in. "However, we know nothing more than that. Our dealings with demons have not been with these genera, and as such, we know as much about them as you."

"I am willing to accept that," the Kryptonian replied. "But, also at hand is how these demon-creatures were stopped. The Justice League does not condone killing, for any reason."

"We understand that," Warlock answered. He and Psylocke were standing on either side of the Professor. "The X-Men believe the same thing. We do not kill."

"But," Psylocke continued, "these creatures are purely evil." She paused, making sure she had their attention. "And they decided to morph into the entirely wrong people."

"What do you mean," Diana asked, meeting the other woman's eyes.

"Sabretooth, the one that Wolverine fought, is a bleedin' psychopathic git. He and Wolverine are bitterest of enemies," Psylocke answered. "Almost any time they see each other, they'll attack each other straight away."

"And the other," Diana asked.

"That's something that even we don't even know if we're comfortable telling you about," Warlock answered. "But, regardless, you have to realize these creatures cause unnatural feelings, especially in telepaths, and those with heightened senses. Whenever these types of creatures are around us, we can feel it." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "But, the thing is, we didn't feel anything this time; not until they were in their natural forms."

"What can we do about that," Shayera asked. "If nobody can sense them, how can we figure out if there are others?"

"Why don't we just let someone read everybody' mind," the Flash suggested.

"Most of us aren't comfortable with probing minds without permission," the Professor answered. "Additionally, it would be exhausting to probe the mind of everyone in the Metro Tower, let alone the Watchtower. If there is another way, it would be preferable."

"Anybody have any more suggestions," Superman asked. He looked around the room, hoping for one. He wondered where Batman was; it wasn't like him to miss a meeting such as this. In fact, it would have probably been more up his alley. If anyone had a way of differentiating normal humans from the shape-shifters, it would be Batman.

* * *

**Gotham City**

Something was wrong. Of that he was certain.

But, as Wolverine stood on the rooftop, he wasn't entirely sure on what. His instincts were going off like a fire alarm; the hair on the back of his neck stood on end, his teeth grit against each other. Something told him not to let Batman out of his sight, that there was something entirely off, and dangerous, about him. But, what exactly was causing the feeling, he wasn't sure.

He hadn't had this feeling of **wrongness** from Batman before; in fact, he'd only had the impression he excelled at what he did. But, now, if he turned his back on the man, he felt uneasy and jittery, his testicles shrinking as if exposed to the Antarctic winter. And when he turned toward him, he felt the almost irresistible urge to attack, his claws itching to unsheathe.

He'd felt the same sensation just after the creatures had attacked, and had followed Batman. The predator in him had been awakened, and he had to figure out what exactly was bothering him. He had wanted to confront him in the training area, but the man's communicator had gone off. He wanted to keep Batman in sight, and had threatened him, pinning the other man against the wall.

This, too, had set off alarm bells. Having fought the man, he knew the man should've been able to at least fight him off. And now, he was watching him to determine what this contact knew, and didn't want to scare him or her off with the sudden absence of Batman.

Finally, his watchful reverie was broken as the roof access door from the building opened. Weak light opened across the dark roof, a heavyset woman casting her shadow on the asphalt. Dressed in a business suit, the dark-skinned woman gave off an aura of power and command. Her eyes settled on Batman, though they flicked towards Wolverine with distrust. She walked confidently towards them, her movements accentuating the command that seemingly was at her fingertips. "Batman," she greeted, taking out a manila folder from under her arm.

"Waller," Batman greeted darkly. "You have the information?"

"Right here," she replied, holding out the folder.

It was then, and only then, that Wolverine noticed a change in scent from Batman. The human smell disappeared, only for a moment, being replaced by that similar to old vomit mixed with a herp-like smell. As Batman's hand reached out for the heavy folder, Wolverine reached out with his telekinesis, pulling it into his hands.

Batman turned toward him, a knowing smile spreading across his face. His lips spread away from his teeth, revealing sharpened points glistening dangerously. "I see you now know, Wolverine," it said sibilantly. In a sudden movement, almost too fast to see, it jumped sideways, and grabbed Waller in its powerful grip.

"What do you think you're doing," Waller asked defiantly.

"Didn't you know," it asked, a long retractable claw at her throat. "I'm not Batman." Its hand suddenly morphed into a humanoid appendage, a long, extended bone claw at her throat. Its attention turned towards Wolverine. "Give me that folder," the creature said, motioning with its head, "and I'll let her go."

"You an' me both know ya ain't about ta let her go," the feral mutant responded.

"You heroes just know too much, don't cha," the creature asked menacingly.

"Kill it," Waller told Wolverine. Despite having a razor-sharp blade to her neck, she maintained her air of command, and seemed entirely unfazed.

"Don't even think about it, Wolverine," the creature threatened. The claw drew closer across her throat, a crimson rivulet forming where it pierced her skin. "I'm faster than you."

But, Wolverine's attention was momentarily drawn elsewhere. He'd heard the faint sound of boots landing on pavement. The only thing was that the sound was muffled, as if the person landing was a master at stealth. Quiet footsteps followed, coming closer. The wind shifted ever so slightly, bringing the scent of the person to his sensitive nose. "You ain't faster than me, bub," he stated, stalling as best he could.

"Oh,yeah?" The creature smiled, still partially in its Batman form. "Care to test me, meatbag?"

"Why not," came a deep, masculine voice from the darkness behind Wolverine. A sudden whirling sound, as something sharp cutting through the air, filled their ears. A black shape suddenly appeared flying through the gloom. Its black surface glinted just enough in the low light to make out what it was: a bladed Batarang. Before the creature could react, it struck it in the forearm, just below the elbow.

The Batman-thing screamed shrilly in pain as the modified boomerang struck its target. Its arm fell away as the weapon embedded itself in its abdomen, splitting several ribs in two. Waller capitalized on the sudden attack, and whirled on her captor, pushing the Batarang that much further into its flesh. She backed away as it screamed louder, its remaining limb reaching for the accursed weapon. It threw the weapon to the ground, now stained with viscous purple blood.

While the creature was preoccupied with Waller and the weapon in its side, Wolverine had moved in for an attack. "Hey, bub," he said calmly, getting the creature's attention. It turned on him, ready to attack. But, it was too slow by half. Wolverine lashed out with his right hand, his claws easily cutting through the things other arm. The creature backed away, keening loudly. But, Wolverine was dogged, and without a wasted movement, burst forward, his claws decapitating the demon.

The feral mutant stood over the body, watching as it began to carbonize. He flicked the blood off his claws, unimpressed with his latest opponent. As he watched the disintegration, a dark shape entered his peripheral vision.

"Next time," the real Batman said, "we question it before we do anything else." His voice held an air of unquestionable authority; at least to people other than Wolverine.

"Ya can do whatever ya want with 'em," Wolverine said, bristling under the command.

Batman turned towards him, considering saying something. But, his thoughts were broken as Waller came up to the two of them. "These are the files I had wanted you to see," the large woman said, the picture of impassivity.

The Dark Knight took the files, opening the manila folder. He scanned the first page briefly, his eye catching several phrases that held his attention. "Are you positive about this," he asked. Next to him, Wolverine caught a glimpse of the contents of the first page. A low growl resounded in his throat as he noticed the same thing the other man did.

"I wouldn't have called you if I wasn't," Waller replied, her face stoic.

"We need to get to the Metro Tower," Batman said, certainty in his voice.

"You didn't get that information from me," Waller said, as the dark hero turned to leave.

* * *

**Aboard the Watchtower**

"I would've never thought of that," the man known as the Atom said.

He was standing in the control room for the nuclear reactor that powered the Watchtower. He was currently studying the power output of the reactor, and the its efficiency. The other man that was in the room with him had shown him a way to boost the safely boost the power the reactor put out, and at the same time, boost the reactor's efficiency.

"It wasn't that difficult. Just had to make a few modifications here and there," Bruce Banner responded.

"Yeah," the Atom answered, "but the probability of randomly making one modification, and not the others, without causing a meltdown is astronomically low."

"I … maybe we should get a bite to eat," the nuclear physicist answered, unaccustomed to the praise. It had been a long time since someone had complimented him on his work in his field. How many years had it been, a stray thought chased its way through his mind.

As the two of them made their way to the commissary, they chatted about some of the things they had researched. As they sat down to a late dinner, their conversation turned to gamma radiation, and the specific ways in which it had affected Bruce's cells.

"So, you produce gamma radiation consistently," the Atom asked rhetorically. "Your body must have mutated to produce it. That explains why you haven't died from radiation poisoning."

Bruce nodded in acquiescence. It was something he had concluded long ago. "When I'm the Hulk, I emit increasingly large amounts of gamma radiation the angrier I get." He neglected to add that this energy was what some of his enemies had tried to harness in the past. That he was sitting here in the cafeteria spoke volumes to the ability of his enemies to actually do so.

"Do you have an upper limit?"

"If I do," Bruce answered, "it's an asymptotic limit." He paused, mulling over information in his head. He wasn't entirely comfortable talking about the alternate side of his personality with someone he hadn't known long. Too many people had tried to use the Hulk's power to their own gain, either the sheer strength, or the power he generated. But, he was relatively certain the man across from him, a fellow scientist and ally, was trustworthy. "But, I honestly don't think there is an upper limit. A part of me is afraid of what would happen if he ever go so strong he could cause massive destruction with but a step."

The other man considered the physicist's words quietly, his mind analyzing the words. "Something that powerful," he finally said, "could wage a world war by itself." He looked up at Bruce with understanding. "I think I understand why you are afraid of what is inside you."

Bruce looked up at the other man with a wry smile, about to reply.… But, sudden amber light caught his eye. Turning his head ever so slightly, his attention was drawn behind the other man's head. Bright amber light was shining from the Earth's surface. "What IS that," he exclaimed, getting out of his seat.

As he spoke, other people in the commissary took notice of the energy. The people in the cafeteria, hero and worker alike, stood questioningly, looking down at the surface. Beside him, the Atom started speaking into his communicator, calling the Monitor Womb, the communications center aboard the space station.

"We see it," came the reply of Mr. Terrific.

"But, what is it," Bruce asked, overhearing the answer. Suddenly, the light erupted out of the atmosphere, no more than two kilometers from the Watchtower's position. The light arced past them, racing deep into space to an unknown point. As the energy faded, the people in the space station wondered what exactly the beam had been for.

* * *

**Metro Tower, Metropolis**

The meeting finally ended. Warlock and Psylocke walked out of the room, followed by Professor Xavier, and the League members.

Before them, they saw the woman in fishnet stockings (her name, they had learned, was Zatanna) still struggling against the manacles that had appeared on her wrists. In front of her stood a man with a golden helmet, who seemed to be speaking an incantation. Energy began to coalesce around his fingers as he finished reciting the spell. With the last word, he flung the energy towards the chains in the hope of breaking them.

As the energy dissipated, they saw, much to their disappointment, that the chains remained.

"I've never seen anything that can match this metal in strength," the man said thoughtfully. Before he had tried, Zatanna had tried to undo the chains herself, using her own incantation. But, the chains hadn't responded in the least. Cable and Jean both tried to break them telekinetically, followed by Jean trying to cut through them with her claws.

"Fate," Superman asked.

"So far, nothing we have tried has even scratched them," Dr. Fate replied, his voice slightly muffled beneath his helmet.

"Care to let me try," Shayera asked, displaying her mace. It crackled with energy, seemingly more than ready to be used. Dr. Fate nodded his acquiescence, a gloved hand held out in invitation.

She walked confidently over to the other woman, her mace held at the ready. She looked up at Zatanna. "Ready?" The other woman nodded in response, moving slightly to left away from the mace. She hefted the weapon, and with a mighty battle yell, brought the heavy weapon down as hard as she could. As the mace hit the metal stake in the ground, a resoundingly loud metal-on-metal clang rang out. The energy around the mace backfired, unable to do anything to the other metal. Shayera caught the full brunt of the backlash, the energy hitting her square in the chest.

"Shayera," John Stewart's deep voice called out. The Green Lantern fell down next to his former lover, his hand cradling her head. "Are you alright?" The massive form of the blue-furred Beast suddenly appeared next to her, kneeling down next to his patient.

"I'm fine," the Thanagarian woman responded. She sat up slowly, her body aching. "My mace," she said simply. But, even as she did so, pain washed over her head, causing her to grit her teeth. A single hand flew to her temple, trying to comfort the pain.

"You are not fine, my dear," Henry McCoy's cultured voice said. One of his massive paws reached under her armpit, and gently lifted her to her feet. "Come with me. I will take you to the infirmary." Her face scrunched up at this word, not feeling she needed to. Seeing her response, he growled softly. "Nothing you will say will convince me otherwise, my dear," he continued firmly, but kindly.

As the blue-furred doctor led the alien warrior away, John picked up her mace, giving it a once over. He paused suddenly, noticing something wrong with the weapon.

"It's nicked," he said, surprised.

"May I," Warlock asked, holding his hand out. The other man handed the heavy weapon over, still puzzling over the piece of metal missing. Taking the mace in his hand, Warlock fingered the nick, examining it. Green energy began glowing from his eyes, his hand mirroring the light. As his finger moved across the nick, it seemed to start to heal. As if happening several times too fast, metal grew out of the scratch, seemingly at first to be liquid. It easily filled the notch, solidifying as it did so, the metal shining dully in the light. As it finished, the X-Man handed the weapon back to the Green Lantern. "All fixed."

"How … how were you able to do that," John asked, looking down at Shayera's weapon. "This is Thanagarian Nth metal; it's immune to all forms of magic."

"There are some forms of magic," a voice said from behind him, "that are beyond even the strength of Thanagar." He turned to see Sage standing behind him. "And, there are some forces that are so powerful, that they must be seen to be believed."

"I … think I'm going to bring this to Shayera," the Green Lantern responded. "But, we have something to talk about later." He left them standing there, a puzzled look on his face.

Warlock leaned over to Sage conspiratorially. "You're a member of the Order, aren't you?"

She looked up at him, her face inscrutable. "Maybe I am," she replied. She walked away, towards her room, leaving him standing puzzled.

Meanwhile, Psylocke had gone on to look at Zatanna, and see if there was a way she could help her. The woman was still struggling with finding a way out of the manacles.

"What have you tried," the X-Woman asked Dr. Fate.

The helmeted mage turned towards her. "We've both tried everything we could think of," he replied.

"We've both tried every possible incantation we could think of," Zatanna said, exasperated. "Nothing's even budged them. I'm wondering what it was that your teammate said to cause this."

"I've been thinking about that," Dr. Fate said. She looked up at him expectantly, her nerves wearing thin from being chained so long. "I believe that was a word of an ancient language, long forgotten. I think it was a word of the Command."

"Command," Psylocke asked. Though she was the one who asked, a questioning look had appeared on the other woman as well.

"It is thought that there is an ancient language wherein people could command that what they wished and it occurred." He sighed, his mind going over the problem over and over again. "If that is the case, I do not know what would make these chains disappear, other than another word. But, the problem is that there is no one alive that knows these words."

"Then how did … what's her name…"

"Storm," Psylocke supplied.

"Then how did Storm make these chains appear," Zatanna asked, motioning to the manacles.

"I do not know if you felt it as well," Dr. Fate answered, "but I could feel an exceptionally powerful force in the room when she spoke that word." He looked straight at the chained woman. "A Higher Power of some sort gave some of its power to her."

Psylocke nodded ever so slightly. She, too, had felt that Power. But, she had more than felt it. It had seemed as if she were actually connected to it. Something about it had actually seemed familiar. Something about it called out to her, made her feel enervated.

These thoughts were jumbling around at the back of her mind as she looked over the chains. She took one in her hand, the metal oddly warm to her touch. But, in that touch, she could also feel the magic in the chains, the power that held them taught. And, she suddenly realized she had control over the power in the chains. She held on tightly to the chain, and concentrated.

Emerald energy coalesced around her hand, and began creeping over the chain. As the energy fully enveloped the metal, she willed the chain away. The metal did as she wanted, and disappeared, becoming nothing more than dust in the wind as the energy left it. As if in a trance, she moved to the other chain, and doing the same as she did with the previous, making it dissipate, black specks of dust blowing on the wind.

"How did you do that," Zatanna asked. She rubbed at her arms, red rings of flesh pointing out where the manacles had been. "Stsirw laeh," she said, the reddened flesh instantly disappearing. "We tried everything we could think of to unchain me, but nothing worked. What did you do?" Her voice had grown in annoyance, slowly growing towards outright anger.

"I just willed them gone," Psylocke replied coolly, her face becoming stoic. At the British mutant's tone, Zatanna took a step back, seemingly realizing she was taking out her annoyance on the wrong person. But, before she could say anything, a dark figure stepped behind Psylocke.

"We need to speak," Batman's gruff voice intoned. The purple-haired telepath turned around in askance. "I need to speak with all of the X-Men. Now." He turned and walked into the conference room they had left only several minutes beforehand.

* * *

Several minutes later found the X-Men and the founding members of the Justice League in the conference room … yet again.

Batman was leading the meeting, the manila folder sitting ominously before him at the table. "Amanda Waller contacted me today to give me some information."

"Information," Shayera asked. "Are you sure you can trust her?"

"Yes," Batman replied. "She is not pleased with being taken off of Cadmus. She has been secretly gathering information on the doings of Cadmus since she was forced out. This folder details some of their most successful projects."

"Cadmus? Waller?" Warlock sat forward, wondering what the League was discussing. "We have no idea what you guys are talking about."

"Cadmus was a government program that was meant to combat the League if we went rogue," John Stewart answered. "But, some of the experiments got out of control." The Green Lantern's eyes seemed to flash in annoyance as he spoke about their doings.

"Not to mention the time they tortured the Question," the Flash spoke up.

"They tortured one of you," Archangel asked, "and you're still willing to trust this woman?"

"Currently, Cadmus engenders as much anger in her as it does us," Batman replied. "Additionally, the direction in which they are going concerns not only me, but seemingly, her as well."

"What are you talking about," Superman asked.

"Over the past few months," Batman answered, "what was previously Cadmus has followed through on several experiments they had previously canceled." He hunched over the folder for a moment. Those who knew him well saw that there was something that was bothering him much more than he let on. "Cadmus has been totally reinstated as of this morning. They've put General Russell Thornton in charge, a man who is even more radical than Eiling. They've decided this all because of the fight in Metropolis.

"Waller has supplied me with a number of the top-secret projects that Cadmus is bringing to the table."

"Why'd they start it up again after all the problems they had," Flash asked.

"Because of the confrontation between the Hulk and Superman," Professor Xavier concluded. "If only that had not happened, they would not have reinstated the program."

"You and I both know their thoughts would sooner or later return to wanting to destroy what they can't control," Sage boldly responded. "It is only logical that it would happen now."

"I have to wonder, though," Diana spoke up, "if what you are involved in is not related to this." She motioned towards several of the X-Men.

"I would be hesitant to make such a jump of logic," Beast said, "lest we forget Occam's Razor."

"Occam's Razor," Iceman asked, immediately to the leonine mutant's right.

"The scientific principle that the simplest explanation is generally the most likely," Batman answered.

"Yeah, but, c'mon," Jubilee burst in. "We've fought demons, an' ugly 'Alien'-like aliens, an' giant robots, an' we've seen time travel, an' all kinds o' things that we shouldn't have!" She took in a breath, looking imploringly at the others. "That's gotta count for somethin'."

"Regardless," Batman immediately said. His tone was dark, and imposing; he was intent on getting the meeting back on track. "I have here the files she gave me. I've looked over them, and there are many different types of weapons they've been developing. Amongst them is an energy cannon whose sole purpose is to shoot down the Watchtower.

"And, we've received word from the Watchtower that they witnessed a test-firing of the weapon. It passed within ten kilometers – close enough for those onboard to see its intensity." The hushed silence that followed informed him that he had their attention. "I want to familiarize you all with the weapons that they have developed so you are aware of the threat they pose on us."

* * *

**Two hours later – Metro Tower**

Diana stepped out of her bathroom, a towel wrapped around her body. She ran a hand through her wet hair, her mind going over all the information Bruce had gone over in the meeting. He had already begun to analyze ways in which to neutralize some of the weapons that Cadmus was developing. His mind was constantly working, well-oiled cogs and gears always in motion. It was what made him such a great warrior. And, she had to admit, she admired him for his warrior prowess. If only he would be willing to open his ….

"Stop," she whispered fiercely to herself. She'd gone over this in her mind many, many times over the past few months. And, though she had wanted to develop a relationship that was more than professional, Bruce had not. She had gone over his reasons for not wanting to start a relationship thousands of times. Each time, she saw faults in his logic. That his enemies might use a relationship against him had crossed her mind, but she had shown that she could more than take care of herself. She was an Amazon. Princess of the Amazons.

"And an Amazon should not be involved with a man," she said to herself. But, even as she said it, she realized she didn't really believe that. He had proved his heroism, his courage time after time. She admired him that much more for the fact that his only weapons were his mind, and his body; both of which he had honed to be deadlier than any of his peers.

"Thinking about a certain Bat, are we," a playful voice asked from behind her.

She turned immediately, her temper rising in her chest, an angry retort on her tongue. She stayed her temper the moment she saw who was standing before her.

"Hermes," she said, bowing her head respectfully. "What do you have for me?"

"Oh, let me find it here," the messenger god replied. He started rummaging through his satchel, a concentrated look on his face. "Is this it," he asked himself. "No, that's SO not for you." He continued looking, picking out scrolls, and unrolling them just enough to look at the top. He suddenly stopped, a puzzled look on his face. He turned his head slowly, a concentrated look on his face. The juxtaposition of his serious face on the usually jovial deity was striking.

"Diana," Hermes asked. He turned his head slowly towards her. "Was there someone that cast a spell here? Someone that used a word you've never heard?"

"Yes," she replied, puzzled. "I believe the word was…"

"Don't," he commanded. "Do not speak the word." He snapped his fingers, and a scroll and quill pen appeared in mid-air. "Write the word here."

Still confused, she slowly took the quill, and wrote the word down on the floating scroll, as well as she could. She handed the scroll back to him, wondering what was going on, her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.

The messenger god read the word, his eyebrows scrunching in concentration. "Chains," he whispered. He looked up suddenly, so fast he would have had whiplash if not for his divinity. "Was there two people, a man and a woman, who had magical powers?"

"Yes," she answered.

He closed his eyes in dismay, his mouth twisting. "Did they ever once refer to themselves as Protectors," he asked slowly, each word dripping with dread.

"Yes," Diana responded, slowly, warily. Hermes' twisted in a mask of terror, his eyes going wide, his face paling. "Hermes, what is this about?"

"I … need to get back to Olympus," he answered. "But, this is not good," he continued, his look faraway. "So very not good." His satchel fell to his side, his body entirely rigid. "I need to go, Diana." He disappeared in a flash of light.

Diana looked around momentarily, wondering what exactly was going on. She went to change, still discombobulated, the behavior of the god discomforting her. Something was happening that seemed … big.

As she finished changing into her armor, a flash of light behind her announced the presence of Hermes.

"Diana," the messenger god spoke quickly, "you are required on Themyscira. A powerful magical being has been unloosed on the island." Only now did she notice that he had a rolled scroll in his hands. Fear and terror were in his voice, his eyes still wide, his face still pallid.

"What kind of creature," she asked. The very fact that a god was terrified caused her to pause, caused her to take special attention. "What kind of creature is attacking?"

"It is something that has not been seen on Earth since before the time of humans," Hermes replied. "This creature is evil incarnate, whose master is evil beyond anything you have ever seen." He sighed, his face grim. "But, I can tell you no more about it."

"Why?"

"It is the edict of Zeus that these creatures may not be spoken of," he answered.

"Why would Zeus make such an edict," she asked, confusion spreading over her face.

"Diana … perhaps you do not understand," Hermes responded. "All of Olympus, even Zeus himself, is afraid of these creatures. We believe they intend to either coerce Hades to join him, or to overtake Hades, and then rule Tartarus and the Elysian Fields.

"And if that happens," he continued, tension dripping from his voice, "they would be more than able to destroy Olympus." Diana was silent, surprise etched on her face. He knew he had her complete attention now. He held up the scroll in his hands. "This scroll is a decree from Athena, granting all members of the Justice League, and the X-Men temporary access to Themyscira until the threat is past. Any Amazon that does not comply will answer to Athena herself."

"And what of the laws of Themyscira," she asked.

"They are superceded by this," Hermes answered. "You are our champion, Diana. It falls to you to meet this threat." He paused hesitatingly, before looking back at the Amazon. "If they take Olympus, they will subsume the Earth … and then nothing can save us."

* * *

**Somewhere in Deep Space**

The beam of energy continued on its trajectory, its path still true.

What started as a massive blast from the Earth's surface had continued much farther than any would have thought. Very great magic had helped to generate the power needed generate the blast. And, it had a very specific target.

The idea that the energy cannon's purpose had been to destroy the Watchtower had been a diversion. It was wanted that no one would suspect what was actually being built. And it had worked wonderfully.

Now, the energy blast was coming close to its intended target. A wide field of rubble stretched in front of the beam. As the energy hit the first piece of rock, it started spreading outward. The first rock began to glow yellow. As its luminescence peaked, the energy shot toward another rock nearby, and began illuminating it. Slowly at first, and then picking up speed, as if the energy itself was excited by what it was doing, the light spread the entire width of the rubble field.

As the rubble field was fully lit, the energy became a massive, glowing disk. The glowing rubble began to rotate, the center of the rubble field beginning to bulge. It began rotating faster, and faster, the bulge becoming bigger. The disk began constricting on itself as the bulge continued growing. Finally, in a massive burst of light, the rubble field violently compressed itself, becoming a humanoid shape.

As the light faded, the thing's eyes opened, its craggy face grinning malevolently. And, if, through the vast emptiness of space there was sound … a darkly evil laugh would be heard, its owner already planning revenge.


End file.
